So you’ve bought or are planning your new shinny Samsung Galaxy S5 that has been touted to support IP67 standards. You’ve probably read or seen fancy Ads from Samsung or your local carrier that the device is dust and water resistant — meaning you can receive a call in the shower, in the rain and you handset can even withstand (finally) dusty conditions akin to the Middle East and Africa.
Excited? Wait.
What exactly is IP67? Can one truly immerse the device in water and not risk malfunction their device?
IP stands for ‘Ingress Protection’. An IP number is used to specify the environmental protection of enclosures around electronic equipment which are determined by specific tests. The IP number (not to be confused with computer IP numbers that identify computers on the network) is composed of two numbers, the first referring to the protection against solid objects and the second against liquids. Dust-resistance levels go from 0 up to 6 while water-resistance goes from 0 to 9. The higher the number, the better the protection.
As you already know, the S5 is IP67 certified, meaning it’s totally protected against dust and protected against the effect of immersion between 15cm to 1m only. This means the S5 or similar devices that are IP67 certified such as the Sony Xperia Z2 can be submerged underwater up to 1 metre depth for 30 minutes or to put it another way, the S5 is the Galaxy S5 is water resistant, not waterproof.
So can you dance in the rain, sing along in the shower with the S5 or deep your device in the sink? NO! Put the fancy Ads and Demos aside please. IP67 is designed to protect your device against accidents or wet situations, but not to promote reckless behavior.
One more thing; don’t forget that your battery cover and charger door MUST be sealed completely or none of this matters.
Image: Theenergycollective
