IP68 rating

[jon4400]

Recently bought an S8 plus and it's my first water resistant phone. I know that you can submerge it in a meter of water for 30 minutes.
What I'm more interested in is the aftermath, mostly when it comes to the ports.
Will it render the headphone jack useless?
Will the speaker still work as it should?
And how long should I wait for the mic, speaker, headphone jack and the USB port to dry out before I can use it again?

Please share your experience.

 

[Tim1954]

Be aware that it's water resistant and not water proof! Big difference!
Also Samsung warranty does not cover water immersion.
I've seen posts where these phones died after being wet in someone's pocket in the rain. On the other hand, I've seen great pictures taken underwater with them.
Remember, these are mass produced, so tolerances may vary and seals may not (seal).
It's a risk I'm not willing to take with a $1,200 device. Your call...

 

[arunma]

Tim pretty much summed it up. Water resistance is best thought of as a precautionary measure rather than a feature. If your phone isn't able to resist water due to being wet in your pocket, then it's defective. But since you've just incurred liquid damage, your warranty doesn't cover it, so your wet pocket is about to also be emptied of cash. Very clever on Samsung's part, isn't it?

Having said that, I tend to be fairly confident in my phones' water resistance, and on a couple occasions I did the whole underwater photo thing with my old S7 Edge. Assuming you're not one of the unlucky few with a defective water seal, you can expect the ports to be dry and fully functioning in about three to four hours. Until then, the earpiece microphone on top should function just fine, and the microphone on the bottom should also work OK, but it'll be muffled due to water droplets inside the grill. For safety purposes, your phone's software will disable your USB port and not allow you to use it until it's dried out (and will give you a notification to that effect). Wireless charging will still work while you wait for your ports to dry. Basically, you won't do any permanent or long term damage to your phone by submerging it in water. Assuming it's not defective to begin with, that is.

Having said all this, you'll want to avoid pool and sea water, since chlorine and salt can damage the water resistant seals. You'll also want to avoid soapy water, since soap reduces the surface tension of water, allowing it to slip through the water resistant seals. So...I guess that leaves tap water and backyard pools.

 

[anon(7901790)]

Samsung's IP68 rating means it's water PROOF down to one meter for up to 30 minutes; which is the same as a LifeProof case.

Also, it won't ruin the headphone or charging/data connectors. You may get a moisture detected notification, if you do just let it air dry.

 

[L0n3N1nja]

S7 frequently around water, wet, occasionally submerged.

I've encountered no damage, touch screen and finger print scanner don't respond properly when wet, just dry it off with a cloth. Charging port won't work until dry, I get a pop up on my display that moisture was detected. Loud speaker sounds terrible for a few hours, water gets in it but it has so far dried and kept working fine. Headphone jack I've never used right after it was wet, but that still works fine too.

 

[Aquila]

Samsung's IP68 rating means it's water PROOF down to one meter for up to 30 minutes; which is the same as a LifeProof case.

Also, it won't ruin the headphone or charging/data connectors. You may get a moisture detected notification, if you do just let it air dry.

False. It means that it has been tested to be resistant to water ingress and pressure from being submerged, while in deep sleep, in 1 meter of still, room temperature tap water. Turn the screen on and that's something that wasn't tested. Put in water with a current or jets or motion and that wasn't tested. Put that in water with chemicals or dirt or sand, etc and that wasn't tested. Alcohol, milk, etc, not tested.

Life proof case protects at least minimally against all that stuff. Stuff that can kill an IP68 phone.

 

[GRUNT11B]

S8+ no damage here but I've noticed with these water resistant devices like my S7 edge and N7 (rip) that once I submerged them, the water damage indicator mark inside the sd slot always turns color. Strange but never had issues trading in after that.

 

[anon(7901790)]

False. It means that it has been tested to be resistant to water ingress and pressure from being submerged, while in deep sleep, in 1 meter of still, room temperature tap water. Turn the screen on and that's something that wasn't tested. Put in water with a current or jets or motion and that wasn't tested. Put that in water with chemicals or dirt or sand, etc and that wasn't tested. Alcohol, milk, etc, not tested.

Life proof case protects at least minimally against all that stuff. Stuff that can kill an IP68 phone.

Wrong again. Read the IP ratings.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_Code

IP68

6 - No ingress of dust; complete protection against contact (dust tight). A vacuum must be applied. Test duration of up to 8 hours based on air flow.

8 - The equipment is suitable for continuous immersion in water under conditions which shall be specified by the manufacturer. However, with certain types of equipment, it can mean that water can enter but only in such a manner that it produces no harmful effects. The test depth and/or duration is expected to be greater than the requirements for IPx7, and other environmental effects may be added, such as temperature cycling before immersion.

Samsung gave it a IP68 rating because they tested it in one meter of water for 30 minutes. Samsung does say to not use it while under a water fall, or other place where you'll encounter jets or streams of water. That is because it is not IP69K rated. I live in Hawaii and I have taken my S8+ into the ocean WITHOUT a LifeProof case with no problems. What did not do was take it below 1.5 meters. When I got the moisture detected notification, I just let it air dry for a couple of hours and it worked just fine.

Here are the specs for LifeProof.

"IP-68 INGRESS PROTECTION
The international standard for Ingress Protection (IP). 6 and 8 are the highest ratings for solids and liquids. IP-68 rated cases withstand circulating talc for 8 hours and water immersion to 6.6 ft / 2m for 1 hr."

Why LifeProof | LifeProof

P.S. If you do take it into salt water, rinse it off in fresh water as soon as you can. I do that with my GoPro 5 and the case for my GoPro 4.

 

[Aquila]

S8+ no damage here but I've noticed with these water resistant devices like my S7 edge and N7 (rip) that once I submerged them, the water damage indicator mark inside the sd slot always turns color. Strange but never had issues trading in after that.

Yeah is good for trade, but warranty is typically not going to be honored.

 

[Aquila]

Wrong again. Read the IP ratings.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_Code

IP68

6 - No ingress of dust; complete protection against contact (dust tight). A vacuum must be applied. Test duration of up to 8 hours based on air flow.

8 - The equipment is suitable for continuous immersion in water under conditions which shall be specified by the manufacturer. However, with certain types of equipment, it can mean that water can enter but only in such a manner that it produces no harmful effects. The test depth and/or duration is expected to be greater than the requirements for IPx7, and other environmental effects may be added, such as temperature cycling before immersion.

Samsung gave it a IP68 rating because they tested it in one meter of water for 30 minutes. Samsung does say to not use it while under a water fall, or other place where you'll encounter jets or streams of water. That is because it is not IP69K rated. I live in Hawaii and I have taken my S8+ into the ocean WITHOUT a LifeProof case with no problems. What did not do was take it below 1.5 meters. When I got the moisture detected notification, I just let it air dry for a couple of hours and it worked just fine.

Here are the specs for LifeProof.

"IP-68 INGRESS PROTECTION
The international standard for Ingress Protection (IP). 6 and 8 are the highest ratings for solids and liquids. IP-68 rated cases withstand circulating talc for 8 hours and water immersion to 6.6 ft / 2m for 1 hr."

Why LifeProof | LifeProof

I did read the ratings, and the tested methodologies for each... and you got lucky, but your experience does not change what is tested, nor what is warrantied or what is actually safe for the device.

 

[Aquila]

Case and point, ocean = salt water with a current. Phone still working = luck, as both of those things are not tested, certified or warrantied.

 

[anon(7901790)]

Recently bought an S8 plus and it's my first water resistant phone. I know that you can submerge it in a meter of water for 30 minutes.
What I'm more interested in is the aftermath, mostly when it comes to the ports.
Will it render the headphone jack useless?
Will the speaker still work as it should?
And how long should I wait for the mic, speaker, headphone jack and the USB port to dry out before I can use it again?

Please share your experience.

To answer your questions.

I've gone camping with my S8+ at Waimanalo Bay here in Hawaii.

It's been rained on, it's been in the ocean, and dropped in the sand (I rinsed off the sand in the ocean). I did get a moisture detected notification. All I did was let it air dry for a couple hours and then charged it up. I didn't turn if off, or put it in rice. No damage to the microphone, headphone jack, or charging/data port. No worries. When I got home I DID thoroughly rinsed it in fresh water. My S8+ suffered no damage and is working great.

What I DID NOT do was take it deeper than 5 feet (1.5m).

All I had on it was an OtterBox Symmetry case and QMadix liquid glass screen protector. Neither of which provides any kind of water protection.

Enjoy your awesome phone.

 

[anon(5630457)]

I purchased the LifeProof Fre for my S8. Sure, I trust the IP68 rating, but I like that peace of mind with the added protection of the case, even if it does render the FPS almost useless.

 

[TylerLV76]

I purchased the LifeProof Fre for my S8. Sure, I trust the IP68 rating, but I like that peace of mind with the added protection of the case, even if it does render the FPS almost useless.

How you liking it? I just returned mine about 3 hours ago after a week with it. I couldnt stand the screen but they drastically improved the sound.

 

[jon4400]

Thank you everyone for your input, it was very much appreciated

 

[jon4400]

I'm not trying to intentionally test out these scenarios, just wanted to know what are the measures to take in case an incident do happen, such as a pool party, water splash, heavy rain etc.

 

[pankaj981]

I'm not trying to intentionally test out these scenarios, just wanted to know what are the measures to take in case an incident do happen, such as a pool party, water splash, heavy rain etc.

The S8 series should be able to handle these situations easily. The only place I've read the devices might get permanent damage is salt water but it should be able to handle an accidental splash in the sea. Before charging the phone you do need to make sure the ports are dry to avoid any electrical short circuits. Also the speaker may sound muffled when they are wet but should become normal after they are dry.

 

[anon(5630457)]

How you liking it? I just returned mine about 3 hours ago after a week with it. I couldnt stand the screen but they drastically improved the sound.

It's okay. The Fre for the iPhone 7 Plus was so much better. At least the fingerprint sensor was usable on that model. With the S8, not so much. I really have to shove my finger into the indentation to get it to register, and I have to press down hard on it.

 

[TylerLV76]

It's okay. The Fre for the iPhone 7 Plus was so much better. At least the fingerprint sensor was usable on that model. With the S8, not so much. I really have to shove my finger into the indentation to get it to register, and I have to press down hard on it.

Yeah I had the same with the fps. It wasn't horrible but not great either. The problem I had was the sensitivity on the edges of the keyboard. Also, I ended up putting a microfiber cloth in the back of the phone to bring it closer to the protective screen which got rid of the rainbowing but it still had that noticeable gap between the 2 screens.

I think when they drop to $50 I'll get another but at $90 I couldn't accept it's shortcomings.

 

[eric002]

Wrong again. Read the IP ratings.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_Code

IP68

6 - No ingress of dust; complete protection against contact (dust tight). A vacuum must be applied. Test duration of up to 8 hours based on air flow.

8 - The equipment is suitable for continuous immersion in water under conditions which shall be specified by the manufacturer. However, with certain types of equipment, it can mean that water can enter but only in such a manner that it produces no harmful effects. The test depth and/or duration is expected to be greater than the requirements for IPx7, and other environmental effects may be added, such as temperature cycling before immersion.

Samsung gave it a IP68 rating because they tested it in one meter of water for 30 minutes. Samsung does say to not use it while under a water fall, or other place where you'll encounter jets or streams of water. That is because it is not IP69K rated. I live in Hawaii and I have taken my S8+ into the ocean WITHOUT a LifeProof case with no problems. What did not do was take it below 1.5 meters. When I got the moisture detected notification, I just let it air dry for a couple of hours and it worked just fine.

Here are the specs for LifeProof.

"IP-68 INGRESS PROTECTION
The international standard for Ingress Protection (IP). 6 and 8 are the highest ratings for solids and liquids. IP-68 rated cases withstand circulating talc for 8 hours and water immersion to 6.6 ft / 2m for 1 hr."

Why LifeProof | LifeProof

P.S. If you do take it into salt water, rinse it off in fresh water as soon as you can. I do that with my GoPro 5 and the case for my GoPro 4.

Thank you for writing that ip68 ready into the post thing! I believe that people are being a little too cautious with the phone. Now, I do agree that it is and $800 phone and that we should be generally careful with the phone but if you take it into a pool into the shallow end where it's two to three feet of water nothing detrimental is going to happen with the phone! And just like everyone else said as well, if it gets wet dried off as quickly as you can and the phone will be fine. I don't think any of us really have to spend $90 on a Lifeproof case and long as we don't have to and just take generally good care of the phone. As soon as I can in the future when I can afford to replace my screen for $250 from Samsung I'll do just that and get my ip68 rating back. I'm not saying not to be careful with the phone I'm the first one to say I may know with all of my electronics in my life but I'm also a skier/ snowboarder not much of a pool person however, if it accidentally gets wet or if I want to take an underwater shot or something I'm going to do just that or at least give it a shot. I've never ever done that with any of my prior phones in the past including my Nexus 6p or any of my old Motorola Android phones in my past. I mean I understand IP67 / 68/69 ratings about dust and saltwater however the person is also right in saying that if the phone accidentally hits saltwater just quickly rinse off the phone and dry it off and it should be fine. At least, that's just my two cents.