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Samsung Galaxy S5 Water Test: Don’t Try This With Your iPhone

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The Samsung Galaxy S5 is water resistant, protecting it from dunks and spills. In this demonstration the Galaxy S5 stands up to a stream of water and being completely submerged.

To test out Samsung’s water resistance claims, I took my Galaxy S5 out in my backyard and ran water over. I then left it in a bowl of water, all while running a YouTube video. You can watch a video of the water test below.

As you can see in the above video, the Galaxy S5 continues to function just fine during the test. After I recorded the video I simply took off the back cover and dried it off with a towel.

Samsung’s Galaxy S5 is the flagship smartphone sold by U.S. carriers that is advertised as water resistant.   We’ve seen some demonstrations showing that the HTC One M8 can also be dunked in water while operating, but HTC doesn’t advertise this ability or honor warranty claims for water damage. Apple’s iPhone 5s can easily be incapacitated by water exposure.

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Samsung managed to make the Galaxy S5 water resistant without adding any unnecessary thickness or bulk.

It’s important to remember that the Galaxy S5 isn’t completely waterproof. That means you’ll still want to keep it in a dry bag or waterproof case if you’re bringing the Galaxy S5 out on the water or are in extreme environments. I don’t recommend putting the Samsung Galaxy S5 in your swim trunks pocket while swimming laps or playing in the pool for an extended period. I would be perfectly comfortable however using the Galaxy S5 to shoot pictures and videos of my son while he swims and then leaving the phone on the pool deck.

The Galaxy S5 has an IP67 rating from the  International Electrotechnoical Commission.  The The first two letters (IP) stands for Ingress Protection. The first number (6) signifies that the Galaxy S5 is completely sealed from solids such as dust and dirt.  The second number signifies that the Galaxy S5 can survive for up to 30 minutes in up to a meter of water. Dropping the Galaxy S5 in water deeper than a meter could cause the Galaxy S5’s water seals to fail due to the increased pressure.

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Like a lot of devices, including Apple’s iOS devices, the Galaxy S5’s display is water proof. It’s the seams and ports that are the problem. So how did Samsung make the Galaxy S5 water resistant? To start with there’s a watertight cover that protects the USB charging port on the bottom edge of the device. There’s a rubber gasket attached to the inside of the cover that seals against the metal edge of the USB port. When you unplug he Galaxy S5 from its charging cable it will remind you to close the charging cover tightly.

Galaxy S5 Water Resistant Gasket

The Galaxy S5’s back cover is removable and I was worried that water might find a way in through the space between it and the rest of the phone. Samsung took care of that concern by fitting another gasket on the back cover that goes around the battery, SIM card and other electronic components. The camera, flash and speaker are all watertight and aren’t protected by the gasket. If you remove the battery, the Galaxy S5 will remind you to make sure the back cover is back in place securely.

While the Galaxy S5 does protect against dust and water to some degree, the IP67 rating doesn’t mean that it’s any more shock resistant than the average smartphone. Dropping it in a puddle, swimming pool or bathtub could be a problem if the force is sufficient to crack the phone or dislodge either of the protective covers. If you work or play in the elements you should consider a ruggedized case for further protection.

Water damage is a serious problem for smartphone users. The Galaxy S5 is the iPhone’s most serious competition and Apple should really consider matching Samsung’s water resistance ratings. While there are waterproof cases available for the iPhone 5s and older models, they are bulky and prone to failure.  I lost an iPhone 5s while using a LifeProof case in a swimming pool a few months ago. Though it appeared to be installed correctly, water somehow seeped in and killed the iPhone 5s. Luckily, Apple replaced the device since I’d purchased an AppleCare+ plan with it.

This isn’t the first time Samsung’s released a water resistant phone. The Galaxy S4 Active from last year carried the same IP67 rating. It was virtually identical to the wildly popular Galaxy S4, which didn’t have any sort of water protection.

We commend Samsung for stepping up to the plate and protecting users’ phones from common hazards. This will save Galaxy S5 users money and a lot of heartache over the next couple of years. With the Galaxy S5, a spilled soda won’t end up costing you hundreds of dollars.

12 Comments

12 Comments

  1. humanelysimple

    04/14/2014 at 1:43 am

    Ew……no sense of design or beauty

    • no name man

      05/27/2014 at 1:43 pm

      i hope you kill yourself

  2. Aniket Kapse

    04/14/2014 at 7:02 am

    Seconded! ^

  3. anti-iphone

    04/14/2014 at 10:11 pm

    sounds of apple fanboys/fan girls. hahaha

  4. GMX

    04/16/2014 at 5:55 am

    Meanwhile, Sony has been doing this for years, and not even a mention in an obviously paid blog post by Samsung. The Xperias even have a higher water proofing spec of IP58.

    • keef

      04/17/2014 at 9:35 pm

      But this is written for people that want to know about the S5. The post is titled as such.

    • sgw

      04/19/2014 at 3:49 pm

      ‘Obviously’….except it isn’t obvious at all

      • kosh

        04/23/2014 at 3:02 am

        Apple fanboy lol @sqw

  5. sos

    04/27/2014 at 3:15 pm

    iphone is overrated. end of discussion, fangirls/boys.

  6. protesters

    04/29/2014 at 11:40 am

    This is pure steeling
    The water proof smart phone design was brought to market by Sony
    Seeing its a successful idea Samsung literally stol the idea

  7. Gabovis

    10/15/2014 at 8:33 am

    Nice for Samsung is the best phone to my own use. F**** apple because it’s not sensitive and has no good functions in it. But Samsung as so many sensitive programs. True or false @ apple fans.

  8. Gabovis

    10/15/2014 at 8:35 am

    Nice for Samsung is the best phone to my own use. F**** apple because it’s not sensitive and has no good functions in it. But Samsung as so many sensitive programs. True or false @ apple fans.

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