When Sony first launched its Xperia line of devices a few years ago, the company proudly boasted about how waterproof its smartphones were, but it seems it’s backpedalled on this stance when it comes to the recently announced Xperia Z5 and Xperia Z5 Premium.
According to Xperia Blog, Sony’s Android OEM rules regarding how to properly use the company’s latest, supposedly water-resistant smartphones, include the phrase “remember not to use the device underwater” even though the Z5 is reportedly an IP68/65 waterproof approved smartphone.
Furthermore, the Z5’s OEM guidelines also read:
“The IP rating of your device was achieved in laboratory conditions in standby mode, so you should not use the device underwater, such as taking pictures.”
So while past smartphones in Sony’s Xperia line claim they have water-proof qualities in their marketing materials, Sony is saying the Xperia Z5 isn’t actually completely waterproof. This means it’s likely a bad idea to take your shiny new Xperia Z5 swimming or submerge it under water.
The problem seems to stem from the fact that the tests Sony performs to achieve these IP ratings aren’t as rigorous as they probably should be.
“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 meters,” says Sony’s waterproof device information page. “After 30 minutes in the container, the device is gently taken out and its functions and features are tested.”
This means that while Sony’s Xperia smartphones can hold up to a heavy rainstorm, being used in the bath (as long as you don’t accidentally put the device under water), or running a minimal amount of faucet water over the phone, you can’t actually take them swimming like Sony says you supposedly could with its past Xperia devices.
Unfortunately, a lot of people are likely going to purchase the Xperia Z5 assuming they’ll be able to take it on vacation and snap pictures in the bright, blue ocean (which is a bad idea when it comes to any electronic device given the amount of salt in the ocean), only to probably be surprised this is something you actually shouldn’t be doing with the device.
[source] Xperia Blog [/source]
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