Taking photos underwater? Forget about that.
One special feature that sets Sony smartphones apart from everything else on the market is their IP68 certification. In theory, this means that the device can be used underwater, in up to 1.5m of water for up to 30 minutes, without any significant damage to it.
When it releases new Xperia phones , Sony often shows images of people taking underwater photos using the phones for this purpose. So you can imagine our surprise when Sony Mobile reversed its stance on its waterproof Xperia devices.
Now, look at Sony Mobile's support page for water and dust protection and you'll be able to read Sony's new policy, which says the following:
“Remember not to use the device in water. The IP rating of your device was achieved under laboratory conditions in standby mode, so you should not use the device underwater, e.g. to take photos.”
Sony isn't sure its waterproof phones will survive a real-world test.
It seems that, for now, Sony is no longer confident that its devices can be successfully used underwater without causing damage and the company repairing them under warranty.
“Sony devices that have been tested for their waterproof capabilities are gently placed in a container filled with tap water and lowered to a depth of 1.5m. After 30 minutes in the container, the device is gently removed from the water and its functions and features are checked.”
As you can see, Sony puts a lot of emphasis on the word “gently.” Of course, in real-world conditions, users probably won’t be paying that much attention to the device when placing it underwater, which means there’s a high risk of the phone getting damaged in the process.
The new guidelines have been around since the Xperia Z3+/Z4 was launched in May 2015, but back then, it was thought that the guidelines only applied to that particular phone. But then the Xperia Z5 family was launched and the same restrictions appeared.
Back when the Japanese company introduced the Xperia Z3, it called it the device with the “highest level of waterproofing,” saying it was a “fully waterproof” phone. So what happened next that made Sony retract its previous claims?
