Water resistance in smartphones is slowly turning into a need from a want. Although a handful of manufacturers have experimented with water resistance in feature phones around a decade ago, the first known water resistant smartphone was the Sony Xperia Z. The company carried on the feature with its flagship refreshes, as Samsung followed suit with its Galaxy S series, and now Apple has hopped on the bandwagon with the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus featuring an IP67 rating. Although fans are expecting Google to do the same with their upcoming Pixel phones, it seems that the Pixel will not be as water resistant when compared to the competition.
According to one of the latest rumors, the Google Pixel handset is said to only have an IP53 rating. According to the IP rating chart, the digit “3” means that water spraying at any angle up to 60° from the vertical won’t bring harm to the device. Spray does mean at a relatively low pressure and amount, lesser than a splash. The digit “5” on the other hand is for dust resistance, and “5” indicates that the device is dust protected but ingress of dust isn’t fully prevented. Meanwhile, the IP68 rated Galaxy S7 is completely dust tight, and can survive beyond 1 metre of submersion for a some time.
If this rumor happens to be true, this might turn out to be a deal breaker to some eager Android fans out there. This also means that Pixel users won’t be able to dunk or wash their phones, for that matter. Considering the fact that Apple has started “waterproofing” their phones, many would think that Google should be stepping up as well. However, we should all take this rumor with a pinch of salt, as possible as it may sound. What do you think?
Source: Android Police