For gadget marketing, the terms “water-resistant” and “waterproof” are liberally used especially to attract new customers. But buying a water-resistant gadget doesn’t mean you carelessly throw your gizmo into the pool or a tub of water just to check its marketing accuracy. In most cases, water-resistance is almost certainly NOT waterproof by any measure.

Know the Difference

Each year, thousands of shoppers wreck their apparently “waterproof” devices due to substandard comprehension from the consumer (aka buyer’s negligence) and inaccurate marketing from the vendor (aka manufacturer’s fault). Knowing the basic concepts of water- resistance is vital to keeping your devices protected, along with buying the right gizmos for your outdoor needs.

The main thing you must realize about the whole concept of waterproof is that it is not a real thing beyond deceptive advertising content. You cannot find any waterproof device in the market. Each and every smartphone, smartwatch, sport band, GPS tracker, handheld speaker, or the like that markets itself as “waterproof” must accurately advertise itself as “water-resistant within just the boundaries stipulated by the gadget’s manufacturer.”

Look at it like a building promoted as “earthquake-proof.” This is false advertising since it’s impossible to construct a structure that is 100 percent resistant to earthquakes. Regardless of how well-thought, well-built, well-engineered a framework is, there’s always a mix of quake intensity and timeframe that can make the building collapse. Water-resistance is precisely the same thing. Every single “waterproof” device has a stage where it’s been underwater for too long or submerged too deep. The water temperature and the lids of the gadget also play huge roles in making the device the opposite of waterproof.

Water-Resistance Ratings

Any gadget manufacturer can assert that its device is water-resistant, but, as a consumer, you must not rely on this claim without understanding how the vendor defines the water-resistance parameters of the product. There are two key terms and ratings used to display water- resistance.

• Atmospheres (ATM) Rating – This score is most likely presented on fitness-type gizmos like wearable trackers. ATM rating is almost as old as the first batch of water-resistant watches.

• Ingress Protection (IP) Rating – This score is more commonly seen in larger devices such as smartphones and Bluetooth speakers.

The two ratings are hardly ever used together.

Water-Resistant Gadgets

Based on online shops that sell electronics, water-resistant smartphones are a somewhat new trend on the market. Around the time cell phones are designed as viable camera substitutes is close to the time manufacturers seriously entertained the concept of creating smartphones that can endure water adventures. Most smartphone creators don’t operate on ATM rating. Instead, they use the IP scoring system to let them to identify the actual and water defense presented by their device.

Although several companies provide one specialty phone with water-resistant characteristics, two companies are recognized for their variety of highly water-resistant smartphones. These are Sony and Samsung. Oddly enough, Apple has never tried for any IP ratings for the company’s smartphone line. Rumors circulate about this for the newest iPhone gadget, but officially, the iPhone is not water resistant.

If it’s important that you get a water-resistant gadget, always opt for the best rating available and go through the vendor’s explanation of what the device’s water resistance includes.