Most of us use our phones with a case and screen protector to minimize the risk if they fall. Although as a general rule the cell phone should not suffer significant damage if it falls to the ground and is well protected, a more worrying situation can arise: it gets wet.
Water resistance has become a common feature in high-end smartphones, but Not everyone can come out successfully after a dive: Generally, entry-level cell phones or older smartphones are not waterproof.
IP certification tells us the resistance of our smartphone
Before going into detail about the steps to follow in case the mobile phone gets wet or submerged in water (either in the pool or by throwing a glass of water on it), it is important to understand how to measure water resistance: To know if our smartphone is waterproof you need to look at the IP certification.
This is a code made up of the letters IP followed by two numbers. For example, IP67 or IP68. The numbers that appear after the letters tell us the resistance of our cell phone: the first number refers to the entry of dust inside the device, while the the second refers to water.
As you may have imagined, the higher the number, the greater the resistance of the device. The maximum value for dust resistance is 6, while for water resistance the maximum value is 9. Sometimes an data available to assess resistance.
According to the website of the International Electrotechnical Commission (International Electrotechnical Commission, in Spanish), here are the different values of the classification:
|
DUST RESISTANCE |
WATER RESISTANCE |
|
|---|---|---|
|
0 |
No protection |
No protection |
|
1 |
Protected against solid objects with a diameter of 50 mm or more |
Protected against vertically falling water drops. Drops falling vertically will have no harmful effects |
|
2 |
Protected against solid objects with a diameter of 12.5 mm or more |
Protected against water drops falling vertically when the device is tilted 15 degrees. Droplets falling vertically will have no harmful effects when the device is tilted up to 15 degrees either side of vertical. |
|
3 |
Protected against solid objects with a diameter of 2.5 mm or more |
Protected against splashing water. Water sprayed at an angle of up to 60 degrees on either side of vertical will have no harmful effects. |
|
4 |
Protected against solid objects with a diameter of 1.0 mm or more |
Protected against splashing water. Water splashing on the case from any direction will have no harmful effects. |
|
5 |
Protected against dust |
Protected against jets of water. Water splashed against the enclosure from any direction will have no adverse effects. |
|
6 |
Dustproof |
Protected against powerful jets of water. Water thrown in powerful jets against the housing from any direction will have no harmful effects. |
|
7 |
– |
Protected against the effects of temporary immersion in water. Entry of water in quantities that may cause harmful effects will not be possible when the device is temporarily immersed in water under standardized conditions of pressure and time. |
|
8 |
– |
Protected against the effects of continuous immersion in water. The entry of water in quantities which may cause harmful effects will not be possible when the device is continuously immersed in water under conditions which must be agreed between the manufacturer and the user, but which will be more severe than those of number 7. |
|
9 |
– |
Protected against high pressure and temperature water jets. Water thrown at high pressures and temperatures against the appliance from any direction will have no adverse effects. |
As we said, water resistance is a very common feature in high-end smartphones: devices like the Samsung Galaxy S24 or the new Google Pixel 9 have IP68 certification, which means that they benefit from maximum protection against dust and. can withstand continuous immersion for a long time.
On the other hand, mid-range smartphones like Xiaomi’s Redmi 13 Note have an IP54 certification, which means they are protected against dust, but They are only splash resistant. As for entry-level cell phones, the most normal thing is that they are not resistant to water or significant splashes.
In addition to the above, water resistance has certain limits. The reason is that when a manufacturer determines the waterproofness of a particular device, it does so under specific conditions and with the smartphone in perfect condition.
The condition of the mobile phone may change over time, especially if it has been damaged since we purchased it. For this reason, it is likely that the water resistance of our mobile phone will deteriorate over time. Additionally, damage caused by contact with water and other liquids They are generally not covered by warranty.
Pictures | Microsoft Designer Image Creator
What to do if your phone falls into water
Now that we are clear about how water resistance works on cell phones, it’s time to answer the question we asked in the title of this article. The first thing we should know is that It is not recommended to put your cell phone in a bag containing ricesomething that has been recommended for years. Apple itself warns that it is not recommended to put the phone in a bag containing rice: the reason is that the smallest particles of rice could damage the device.
If you have dropped your phone in water, the first thing to do is turn it off, dry it as quickly as possible and try removing liquid from mobile ports by giving the device a few gentle taps. Additionally, you need to remove the SIM card, the memory card (in case the mobile phone has such a slot) and remove the case.
Under no circumstances should we attempt to dry the device using a tumble dryer, as this could cause significant damage by subjecting it to high temperatures. Instead, we must keep it on a ventilated surface as long as possible so that it can dry properly. Of course, you should not connect it to the mains until it is completely dry.
Depending on how humid the phone is, it will probably need to be turned off for several hours and in a ventilated area. Patience is essential to avoid irreparable damage to the device, because the more time we spend without using the mobile phone, the more likely it will not suffer any damage.
Cover image | Microsoft Designer Image Creator
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