IP Rating Explained: How Much Protection Do They Offer & How to Decode Them?

Source: A&D Inspection

Nowadays, plenty of smartphones and other device manufacturers are toting water and dust resistance or IP certification/rating as a key selling point for their devices. However, we exactly don't know what does it mean or does it provide complete protection to our devices or not? So, in this blog, we will talk about smartphone waterproofing, how effective it is, and whether you should trust IP ratings.

Firstly we all need to understand the difference between water resistance & waterproofing. A waterproof smartphone (or any tech gadget) is entirely safe from any amount of water while on the other hand, water resistance is the ability to resist the penetration of water up to a certain extent for a certain period of time. Practically, no phone is waterproof & is probably just water-resistant to a certain extent. No doubt, that the number of smartphones that have some sort of water-resistant has definitely increased over the past few years, adopting non-removable batteries, un-openable backs & lesser ports or holes in general. Even the ports which need to stay can be sealed through other techniques. Now, let's understand water resistance in smartphones. 

What is IP Rating?

IP Rating or IP Certification stands for 'Ingress Protection' Rating or Certification and it is represented as 'IP XX'. It simply means, how much protection is offered by casings, body, and other parts that cover electrical housings from Dust & Water. The rating is standardized by the 'International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)'. 

How to decode an IP Rating/Certification?

Any smartphone or gadget’s IP rating/certification will be 2 letters (I and P) followed by 2 numbers. The two numbers that follow “IP” denote very different things. The 1st number or the 3rd character is what depicts the protection against solid particles like dust. Similarly, the 2nd number denotes protection against liquid particles like water. 

Generally, the higher the number in both the 3rd and 4th slots indicates a stronger protection value. Also, if a device features protection against only liquid particles and not solid, the corresponding character will be found marked with an X.

How to read IP Ratings?

IP Rating consists of 2 digits like 68, X8, 67, X4, or 66. It's always read as IP 6 & 8 or IP X & 8 and not 67 or X4 together. There are 2X which have their own significance.

The First X

The first number after the IP code denotes the device’s degree of protection against the entry of foreign solid objects. It ranges from 0-6, sometimes the 0 is replaced by an X. 

When the device is rated as X, then in this case the device was not evaluated for dust resistance and does not necessarily signify a lack of dust resistance. 
Interestingly, the 0-4 rating for particulate matter is a fairly simple test based on particle size, but for a rating of 5 or 6, the test is fairly complex. In order to have a rating of 5 or 6 for dust resistance, the device is hung in a dust-test chamber containing specially sized grains of talcum powder. Then, a vacuum line is introduced which will either create airflow (if the seals are leaky) or negative pressure (if they hold) & the test runs of 8 hours or 80 volumes of air exchange and requires that the vacuum line does not exceed a rate of 60 volumes per hour. 
Depending on the results of the test, an IP5X rating is given if some talcum powder gets inside the device but does not impact its performance and an IP6X rating is given when no powder breaches the device surface. 

The Second X

The second X in the IP code is the device’s degree of protection against the entry of liquid particles like water & it ranges from 0-8. It actually caters to 4 distinct categories of tests; determining protection against dripping (IPX1, IPX2), spraying and splashing (IPX3, IPX4), jetting (IPX5, IPX6), and encompassing water (IPX7, IPX8).
The criteria to pass these tests is that in the event of a moisture breach, the safe and normal functioning of the device should not be impacted. Let's just consider the last ratings, IPX7 and IPX8, which deal with the submersion of the device in water.
In order to have an IPX7 rating, the device is submerged underwater in such a way where the lowest point of the enclosure should be 1m below the surface of the water, and the highest point at least 15 cm below the surface & the device is then kept there for 30 minutes. Ideally, IPX7 is the highest level of standardized water resistance you can get on a phone, but an IPX8 rating ‘could’ be higher. In order to have an IPX8 rating, the test time and submersion depth are according to the manufacturer’s specifications and must be marked on the product. 

Putting the two numbers together, users should get a good idea of how well protected any of their gadgets are against particles. For instance, if a device has an IP rating of IP68, you know that the gadget is protected against dust particles completely and can be submerged between 1 and 3 meters underwater.

Note: The IP Rating/Certification is only made for meant for Dust & Water. It is not tested for Coffee, alcohol, Hand Sanitizer & seawater, and other substances that may react to the adhesive or color coating of the smartphone.
If the adhesive coating of the phone is damaged, the smartphone is no longer IP certified or protected. 
Also, if there’s any damage from accidental drops, the phone may not be protected any longer, especially if the frame is dented or the screen is broken. Also, an IP rating does not define how tough your smartphone is.
IP Rating Capacity gets lower & lower as the smartphone (or any gadgets) get older or more used.

What is an ATM Rating? 

There’s another rating to consider for devices (especially for smartwatches). The ATM (Atmospheres) Rating System is supposed to indicate how much static atmospheric pressure a device can deal with while in water.
It’s actually an older rating system than the IP Certification.
A rating of 1 ATM means that you are at sea level, outside of water. If a device has a 1 ATM level listed, don’t put it in water under any circumstances.

Source: Android Authority

Best Way to Protect your Tech Gadgets in Water

Source: Anker

If you want to use your smartphones or any other Tech Gadgets in water. We would recommend you buy a 2nd layer of protection. Waterproof Pouches are a great way to keep your expensive Tech safe when submerged in liquids. They are very useful & cheap. You should definitely check them out. They are quite interesting stuff.

Hope this will Help You!! 🙂