It appears that Sony have changed their stance on their IP68 rated devices and their use under water. Previously the Sony Mobile page stated the IP68 rating made it possible to use the devices under water, the page now has a very carefully constructed description of the testing in laboratory conditions including the (multiple times over) mention that the testing is only conducted with fresh water, not bath water, not sea water etc.
Your device has an IP rating. This means that under a strictly controlled laboratory environment, the hardware works as designed even after being exposed to specific conditions.
Sony devices that are tested for their waterproof abilities are placed gently inside a container filled with tap water and lowered to a depth of 1.5 metres. After 30 minutes in the container, the device is gently taken out and its functions and features are tested.
Reading between the lines, Sony seem to be preparing the market for rejection of warranty claims based on water damage through devices and re-establishing the expectations of users from My device is waterproof to My device will survive if I spill a drink on it, then gently rinse it with fresh water.
Its an interesting change in attitude from the manufacturer and may lead to a shift in approach from others who offer water and dust proof devices.
Will an attitude shift regarding IP rated devices from manufacturers change your buying plans for your next device?
I still have my Z1 compact and use it solely as an underwater camera… Pools, rock pools, sea water… Hasn’t had any issues
Speaker stops working til it dries out … Just muffled full of water
You could always make.believe it’s waterproof outside the lab.
I have a Sony Xperia Z3 tablet which I often use in the bath. Like others I remember it being marketed as waterproof and I fully expect it to survive in the bath. This back-tracking and weasly talk of laboratory conditions from Sony is disappointing as they were really leading the way in this area.
I have a xperia Z3 that got liquid damaged after 15 mins in a pool. Sony refused to fix it or provide a new one as they said the flaps weren’t properly closed and that’s how the water got inside. I’m extra careful with my phones and I can assure that wasn’t the case. I ended up making a claim to my insurance company. From now on, Sony will be at the bottom of the list when considering buying a new phone which is sad because their phones are great.
I distinctly remember marketing material of their phones showing people diving in pools, using it underwater etc, so now they’re going back on that? If you see marketing material of people using the phone, taking photos underwater in a pool, wouldn’t you expect that’s what you should be able to do with that phone? What are their adverts going to show now? A laboratory with their new Xperia phone gently placed in a bowl and slowly filled with distilled, lukewarm temperature water, not touched, not used, then pulled out, rinsed with fresh water and then shown how the screen still… Read more »
Sony ” don’t use smart phones smartly”
I’ve never had a waterproof phone and don’t plan on it so it won’t change my habits. Unless their is a waterproof nexus at some point, I will probably never own one.
I had a good chuckle when a friend of mine thought the waterproofing on this Xperia Z was suitable for taking it swimming. The next day he was down at the shops buying a new phone…
Common sense should prevail really – one look at the mechanism that seals the phone should be enough for most people to deduce that it’s water resistance is somewhat limited.
I had a friend who bought a Xperia Z3 Compact. The phone was supposedly waterproof, but water got into the camera. He had to take the back panel off using a heatgun to dry the camera and it worked again.
I know another friend who bought a Galaxy S5. He was able to submerge it into the water and the phone still worked fine.
Personally, even if the phone is “waterproof”, not gonna take my chance. Unless it’s one of those $30 Walmart special.