A few days ago, I was at a friend’s house when a modern disaster happened. A cell phone was dropped into a bathtub! Many of us know the pain of what could have happened next. What did happen was what I thought nothing short of a miracle. The phone survived. But how?
The answer to that question is IP. No, not internet protocol. IP (International Protection Marking) is the dust/water resistant rating for all digital devices, including cell phones and smartwatches. Thanks to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_Code I’ve learned a couple of important things.
The numbers in IP:
The first number represents what size dust/dirt particle the device is resistant to. The higher the number, the more resistant. The lowest rating is 0, where there is no protection and 6 is the highest rating. Therefore, look for a device that has an IP with the first number 6. I’m pretty sure that is most, if not all, phones today.
The second number is the resistance of the device to water. Once again, the higher the number, the higher the resistance. The levels go from 0 where there is no resistance to the number 9 where not only is their resistance for a particular depth but also if high temperature and pressure jets are going against the device.
If you’re looking at purchasing a phone, after my research, I highly recommend you buy a phone with an IP of 67. That ensures dust resistance and immersion of up to a depth of 1 m. If you’re a person, who takes your camera into a swimming pool, then I’d suggest a minimum IP of 68, this way, you get immersion of more than 1 m. If you are a person who also has someone in there life like my lovely wife Charo, I’d highly recommend the highest level being an IP of 69. If there were a higher rating, she’d probably need that one!
Watch out, though!
Phones are water-resistant, not waterproof! I have found absolutely no phones that have achieved the waterproof category. I would not test any of the above on a whim, either. Cell phones are way too expensive to see if this works.
FYI if you have an iPhone 6, your phone has an IP rating of 65, while an iPhone 8 has an IP rating of 67. Most phones do not advertise their IP ratings, and it is good to check it out before you purchase your next phone!
What about my friend who dropped her cellphone in the bathtub? Her phone has an IP of 67, so an immersion of up to 1 metre. Crisis averted!
Today’s blog is dedicated to my friends @Torontomike and @MissMonicaRina
Thanks for reading and happy adventuring!
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