What is IP Rating & List of Waterproof Phones & Tablets

There is no doubt that smartphones are getting more and more durable with the time. There are some smartphones out there that can even resist dust and water. These dust proof and waterproof smartphones adds the extra reliability factor to them. Well it must be noted that these waterproof phones are not completely waterproof. This means they do resist water but to a certain extent or level and beyond that level the water may penetrate in the mobile phone body. While it is not the case with dust as it can be made completely dust proof.

The technical term that is used to specify the level of dust and water resistance in a smartphone is IP Rating. Here I will explain you in detail about the IP Rating, Types of IP Ratings in a mobile phone and what does it signifies. Also I will provide you the list of popular dust proof and waterproof smartphones having different IP ratings.

What is IP Rating in Mobile Phones?

IP or Ingress Protection Rating is an International standard developed to specify the levels of protection that a device has from dust and water. The word ‘Ingress’ means entering and here we apply this to specify the protection levels for mobile phones or smartphones. The IP rating is specified by a two digit number followed by IP.

For example,

IP68

Here the first digit specifies the degree of protection from dust and the second digit specifies the degree or extent of protection from fresh water. In the above example the digit 6 specifies the level of protection from dust and 8 indicates the level of protection from water.

There are maximum 6 levels of dust protection and 8 levels of protection from water. Here below are the complete details of the various levels of dust and water protection IP ratings.

Note: IP rating for waterproof phones are specified only for fresh water that include rain water, lake water, river water etc.. It is not applicable to saline water.

IP rating for Protection from Dust and Solid Objects

Here are the various IP ratings for protection from dust and solid objects.

IP Rating	Protection Level
IP0X	No special protection from dust.
IP1X	Protection against solid objects greater than 50mm in diameter.
IP2X	Protection against solid objects greater than 12.5mm in diameter.
IP3X	Protection against solid objects greater than 2.5mm in diameter.
IP4X	Protection against solid objects greater than 1mm in diameter.
IP5X	Protection from Dust but some penetration may be there (no harmful deposit).
IP6X	Complete Protection from Dust. Totally Sealed unit..

*Here the X signifies any number from 1 to 8 that is used to denote IP rating for fresh water. For zero you can use X only.

IP rating for Protection from Fresh Water

Here are the various IP ratings for protection from fresh water.

IP Rating	Protection Level
IPX0	No special protection from water.
IPX1	Protection against dripping water.
IPX2	Protection against dripping water when tilted up to 15 degrees from normal position.
IPX3	Protection against spraying water.
IPX4	Protection against splashing water.
IPX5	Protection against low-pressure water jet spray for at least 3 minutes.
IPX6	Protection against heavy jet spray for at least 3 minutes.
IPX7	Protection against the effects of immersion of device at depths of up to 1 metre of water for 30 minutes.
IPX8	Protection against the effects of continued immersion of the device in water at depths greater than 1 metre. The exact conditions are specified for each device by the phone manufacturer.

*Here the X signifies any number from 1 to 6 that is used to denote IP rating for dust and solid objects.

*The water for which the IP rating is specified is fresh water only.

IP Rating for Maximum Protection

The maximum IP rating that a device can have is IP68. The phone with IP68 Rating will be completely dust proof and is protected against water to depths of up to 1 meter.

List of Waterproof Mobile Phones with their IP Ratings

Here is the complete list of popular smartphones and tablets with their IP ratings.

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From the above table you can see that Sony has the maximum number of waterproof phones and tablets in the market right now. Next comes the Motorola. If you have any queries regarding IP rating and waterproof mobile phones then you can ask me by leaving a comment below.

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