On most smartphones today (especially Flagship) we can see the label "IPxx", which means resistance to dust and water. But what does "IP" mean? What do the numbers next to that abbreviation mean? Do more numbers mean better protection?
International Protection Rating
IP is abbreviated to "International Protection" (or Ingress Protection *) and is always followed by two numbers:
- the first number indicates the resistance to solids (1-6)
- the second number indicates water resistance (1-9)
For example, Flagship phones generally have IP68 because it is actually the best protection against water/solids that the phone can have. IP69 phones are a rarity and are mostly certified by those designed for adventurers and construction workers (example).
However, if the phone manufacturer wants its devices to have an IPx8 rating, they will only be tested for IPx7 and IPx8, not lower. There are exceptions, such as the Sony Xperia XZ3 model which has been tested from IP65 all the way up to IP68.
* IEC 60529 (Ed. 2.1), clause 4.1
IP Rating – table
If you want to see in detail which number means what, you can look at the table below.
Number one: solids
Level |
The size of the unwanted substance |
Protection against: |
---|---|---|
0 | No protection | No protection against solids |
1 | >50mm | any larger area of the human body, such as the fist. |
2 | >12.5mm | a finger-sized object |
3 | >2.5mm | tools, thicker wires… |
4 | >1mm | most wires, screws, small tools… |
5 | Dust protection | dust breaking is not complete, but the functionality of the device is not compromised. Complete contact protection. |
6 | Complete dust protection | Complete dust protection. Complete contact protection. |
Second number: water
Level |
Strength |
Protection against: |
0 | No protection | The device is not protected against water |
1 | Dripping water | water dripping continuously for 10 minutes |
2 | Dripping water at an angle of 15 degrees | water dripping continuously for 10 minutes at an angle of 15 degrees |
3 | Water spray | spraying with water at any angle, up to 60 degrees from the vertical, for 5 minutes |
4 | Watering | watering for 5 minutes |
5 | Water jets | water jets with a diameter of 6.3 mm from any direction for at least 3 minutes |
6 | Powerful water jets | powerful water jets with a diameter of 12.5 mm from any direction for at least 3 minutes |
7 | Immersion: up to 1mm | immersion in water to a depth of 1m for 30 minutes |
8 | Immersion: more than 1m | immersion in water with a depth of more than 1 mm specified by the manufacturer |
9 | Strong water pressure from close range | continuous spraying with a powerful water jet from close range from any direction - including hot steam nozzles |
Water Resistance / WaterProof
And now, after this table, it is not clear to you what is the difference between a Water Resistance and a WaterProof phone? The difference is that the Water Resistance phone can "refuse" a smaller amount of water, and you can soak the WaterProof phone in water.
Read more about Water Resistance and WaterProof phones in this article: The difference between Water Resistance and WaterProof phones
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