iPhone 8 Tipped To Have Even Stronger Water Resistance

Water resistance, perhaps even more than dust proofing, has become an expected feature of almost every high-end smartphone these days. After all, if you're paying premium price for such a sophisticated device, you'd expect it to survive a few, hopefully minor, mishaps. Until the iPhone 7, however, Apple's smartphones haven't exactly joined that trend. But now that it has, it seems to be going full out. According to multiple sources, the iPhone 8 will feature an ingress protection (IP) rating of IP68, obtaining the highest dust and water proofing score that few smartphones so far enjoy.

The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, Apple's first smartphones to have a higher than usual score, only has an IP67 rating. That means that, in the worst case scenario, it can survive for 30 minutes underwater at a depth of 1 meter. While already high, that is only second to the highest IP68. That mark is enjoyed by only a few smartphones, with the Galaxy S7 leading the way.

With the iPhone 8, however, Apple is taking things up a notch, all the way to that IP68. In practical terms, that means the iPhone will survive underwater at a depth of 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes. In practice, however, it's still not recommended to tempt fate that way. In fact, Apple's warranty doesn't even cover water damages, making it a bit moot.

All that the numbers really give is peace of mind that your iPhone will survive being drenched in the rain for a bit or dropped on the sand accidentally. Salt water and highly abrasive liquids like Coke are still a big no-no.

While an IP68 upgrading by itself might not be such a big deal, it will be interesting to see its place in the grander scheme of things. The iPhone 8, in contrast to the iPhone 6 all the way to the iPhone 7, is now rumored to sport the glass-metal frame-glass sandwich last seen in the iPhone 4, which may be responsible for this new water proof score.

VIA: The Investor