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Galaxy S5 "Water Resistant" How "Resistant" is it?

Lennatron

Android Enthusiast
Oct 2, 2010
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I read on various news websites that it can be submerged in 3 feet of water for up to 30 minutes. Does this mean its okay to get that phone wet/submerged regularly?

I know with the S4 Active the camera had an underwater mode to take pictures underwater such as in a pool. I haven't read whether or not the S5 has an underwater camera mode. It makes wonder if it is okay to use phone underwater often the way people could with their S4 Active's. I'm thinking since an underwater camera mode has not been mentioned specifically, maybe the S5 isn't for real underwater use the way the S4 Active was.

Another theory is that Samsung is not going to give an underwater camera mode to the S5 because they could be planning to realize an S5 Active although it seems unnecessary if the S5 is "Dust Resistant".

I guess most of these questions cannot be answered until reviewers get to spend real time with the S5 but for now we can speculate!
 
I read on various news websites that it can be submerged in 3 feet of water for up to 30 minutes. Does this mean its okay to get that phone wet/submerged regularly?

I know with the S4 Active the camera had an underwater mode to take pictures underwater such as in a pool. I haven't read whether or not the S5 has an underwater camera mode. It makes wonder if it is okay to use phone underwater often the way people could with their S4 Active's. I'm thinking since an underwater camera mode has not been mentioned specifically, maybe the S5 isn't for real underwater use the way the S4 Active was.

Another theory is that Samsung is not going to give an underwater camera mode to the S5 because they could be planning to realize an S5 Active although it seems unnecessary if the S5 is "Dust Resistant".

I guess most of these questions cannot be answered until reviewers get to spend real time with the S5 but for now we can speculate!

Umm, no. Submerging the Galaxy S5 in water is not a good idea.

Water resistant means it protects your phone from accidental splashing, rain, sweat.

It does not mean you can submerge the phone in water, it will probably be alright if you do it very quickly but your taking a big chance for an underwater photo.
 
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I read online that the S5 can be submerged in 3 feet of water for up 30 minutes however the term "Water Resistant" is used.

Samsung Galaxy S5: Everything you need to know (FAQ) | Mobile World Congress - CNET Reviews

Well by all means try it when you if you get a Galaxy S5, but I wouldn't recommend it.

They choose their words carefully at the announcement, however the IP67 means it should be okay at down to 1 meter.

I'm sure reviewers will test this, it may very well have an aqua mode.
 
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Well by all means try it when you if you get a Galaxy S5, but I wouldn't recommend it.



They choose their words carefully at the announcement, however the IP67 means it should be okay at down to 1 meter.



I'm sure reviewers will test this, it may very well have an aqua mode.


Yes lets hope it does have Aqua mode! I can't wait to see what the people of Youtube put their S5s through!
 
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Copied and pasted ;)

"The IEC categorizes dust-resistance from levels 0-6,
where 6 indicates complete protection.
And water-resistance from levels 0-9.

So when Samsung says the S5 has a rating of IP67,
it means it is completely resistant to dust and has a level 7 rating for water,

i.e. the phone can be immersed for up to 30 minutes to a depth of 1m."

Who wants to be the first to test this:rolleyes::rolleyes:

Pep
 
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I'm curious as to how they're going to waterproof the headphones jack and USB socket. Removable rubber plugs I'd guess, which must be in place to maintain IP67. The removable back would have to have a gasket arrangement of some sort as well. I used to use a Panasonic Toughbook laptop that was supposed to survive a dunking, maybe IP67, and it had rubber sealing plugs for all the ports and connections.
 
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I'm curious as to how they're going to waterproof the headphones jack and USB socket. Removable rubber plugs I'd guess, which must be in place to maintain IP67. The removable back would have to have a gasket arrangement of some sort as well. I used to use a Panasonic Toughbook laptop that was supposed to survive a dunking, maybe IP67, and it had rubber sealing plugs for all the ports and connections.


The micro-USB port has an attached rubber plug. I assume that the headphone jack has a cover as well but I have no official confirmation.


Copied and pasted ;)

"The IEC categorizes dust-resistance from levels 0-6,
where 6 indicates complete protection.
And water-resistance from levels 0-9.

So when Samsung says the S5 has a rating of IP67,
it means it is completely resistant to dust and has a level 7 rating for water,

i.e. the phone can be immersed for up to 30 minutes to a depth of 1m."

Who wants to be the first to test this:rolleyes::rolleyes:

Pep


I wonder if Samsung will replace S5s that are damaged by water. I assume that they are liable as long as users had all of covers over ports and the back cover is sealed tight. If someone took their S5 underwater without a cover closed I think it would be difficult for Samsung to prove it was user error because the user could argue that the covers were closed and it still got water damage. It'll be interesting to see how this all plays out!
 
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Copied and pasted ;)

"The IEC categorizes dust-resistance from levels 0-6,
where 6 indicates complete protection.
And water-resistance from levels 0-9.

So when Samsung says the S5 has a rating of IP67,
it means it is completely resistant to dust and has a level 7 rating for water,

i.e. the phone can be immersed for up to 30 minutes to a depth of 1m."

Who wants to be the first to test this:rolleyes::rolleyes:

Pep

30 minutes at 1 meter is the IP-X7, not the X6. X6 is occasional splashing. Been awhile since I've had to use that spec, but that's the way I remember it.
 
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30 minutes at 1 meter is the IP-X7, not the X6. X6 is occasional splashing. Been awhile since I've had to use that spec, but that's the way I remember it.

First number is solid objects. IP6X = dustproof.
Second number is liquids. IPX7 = water submersible to 1 meter.

So IP67 = dustproof and water submersible to 1 meter...

More info here on IP ratings: http://www.resourcesupplyllc.com/PDFs/WhatDoesIP67Mean.pdf
 
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It does, it has an "Aqua mode", the Active is waterproof up-to three feet for 30 minutes.

Galaxy S5 is only water resistant, huge difference.

This is no S4 Active or Xperia series where submersing is okay. In fact, the guy talking about it at the announcement was very frank. It's only for the occasional spill or rain, but that's about it.

IP67 means you should be able to immerse it at limited depths for short periods of time with no problem. I suspect when Samsung said "water resistant" they were covering themselves.

I'm curious as to how they're going to waterproof the headphones jack and USB socket.

Liquipel or some similar coating? I'm just speculating, but the Headphone jack on my Z1 is completely uncovered and it's fully waterproof.

Even with the IP67 rating, it's highly unlikely you'll be able to take pictures underwater unless it has a dedicated camera button. From my experience taking pictures underwater with the Z1, the touchscreen is unresponsive and I either need to use the smartwatch app or the physical camera button.
 
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Even with the IP67 rating, it's highly unlikely you'll be able to take pictures underwater unless it has a dedicated camera button. From my experience taking pictures underwater with the Z1, the touchscreen is unresponsive and I either need to use the smartwatch app or the physical camera button.

With the Galaxy S4 Active the volume button could be used to take underwater pictures. Hopefully the S5 will be the same way.
 
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Oh, I thought the active had a dedicated camera button (the androidpolice article I read implied that).

According to Cnet the Active uses the volume rocker:
yhuguqed.jpg
 
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Oh, I thought the active had a dedicated camera button (the androidpolice article I read implied that).

I've got an Active and there's no camera button, you do have to use the volume rocker. Also the USB port has a rubber plug. The headphone socket is uncovered though. I would imagine the S5 will have the same arrangement. The battery cover has a gasket on the Active too.

I don't think that there will be an aqua mode. There were lots of issues with people drowning their Actives because they weren't fitting the rear covers correctly and sealing them properly. They'll probably go with the water resistant line as it will deter people from dunking their phones.
 
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I know in a few different places that folks were debating what does the IP67 rating mean in terms of water resistance for the Galaxy S5. At the unveiling it was pitched as water resistant not water proof. The IP standard says water proof for 30 mins in upto 3 meters of water.

Well apparently some Russians decided to test it themselves and take the guesswork out of it.

Here is the youtube link: Samsung S5 IP67 test- YouTube

I've pre-ordered one of these beasts and you can be sure I will not be repeating this experiment.
 
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The phone is water resistant to 1 meter. That's why it's rated IP67. Which means you can submerge it in water and take pictures with the volume rocker. But...

If you don't snap the back cover and plug the charge port properly, it will take in water and the phone is toast. How can Samsung control that? The last thing they need are 10 million warranty returns for water damage due to consumer error.
Officially, Samsung says you can't submerge it to cover themselves from liability. The reality is, it is designed to be submerged, but do so at your own risk. I'm going to live on the edge this summer and take underwater pictures. I'll make sure to double check the seals.
 
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The major benefit of the claim of "water resistant" may be not in using it underwater but that should the phone get dropped in water - and stop working, that the damage would be covered by the warranty.

Without the water resistant claim, if there was water damage inside the phone, they might not cover the phone repair/replacement.
 
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