Water-resistant vs waterproof: What’s the difference?

While we tend to use the terms water-resistant and waterproof interchangeably when describing, say, our smartphones and smartwatches, these terms are not the same and indicate different levels of protection against water ingress. It’s important to understand what those differences are so we don’t accidentally damage our devices by misunderstanding the rating and pushing them too far.

What is a waterproof device?

If someone claims that a device is waterproof, they’re saying that the device is impervious to water even under extreme circumstances.

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Such ratings are only given to the most rugged of products, such as fitness devices used in extreme sport – a diver’s watch, for example – or certain types of water-repellent finishes. Most consumer devices such as smartphones and smartwatches are not waterproof.

What is water-resistance?

A water-resistant device is simply one that is impervious or resistant to water ingress under certain circumstances. For example, smartphones from a few years ago could only handle water splashes or light rain. While you can take a smartwatch to the pool, not all can be worn for a swim as the deeper immersion may force water into the watch. The same applies to diving, where the sudden shock causes enough of an increase in pressure to force water into the device.

Water-resistance ratings: What are IP ratings?

IP or Ingress Protection ratings are awarded to electronic equipment after rigorous tests that determine how resistant they are to dust and water ingress. An unrated device might still be water and dust resistant, but the lack of rating simply means that it hasn’t been officially tested or certified.

You may have seen ratings such as IP67, IP65, IP47, etc. IP of course implies that this is an ‘Ingress Protection’ rating. The first number in the rating indicates protection against dust ingress, while the second indicates protection against water ingress.

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Dust ingress protection is rated from 0-6 (no protection to no ingress), and water resistance is rated from 0-8 (no protection to protection against ingress of high-pressure water from multiple angles). At times, 0 is replaced by an X (eg. IPx5) indicating no protection against that kind of ingression. Thus, IP67 indicates that the device is dust-tight i.e. effectively impervious to dust and is “protected against the effects of temporary immersion in water.” In other words, you can drop the device into a pool of water not more than a metre deep and it’ll survive for half an hour, but it’s not rated to survive long-term exposure (when swimming or diving). 

A rating of IPx5 (protection against splashing water) is enough to protect the device from sweat, rain, and the occasional splash.

Is water resistance enough?

A standard water-resistance rating of IP67 is enough for most consumers. This rating certifies that the device can survive dust, rain, and occasional dunking, but not more. Serious athletes, especially divers and swimmers, who want to take their electronic equipment with them into the swimming pool or the sea will need to invest in specialised equipment that is rated to be waterproof and not just water-resistant.

Since most consumer electronics devices today have a water resistance rating, consumers don’t really need to think too much about an IP rating. If, however, you know that you’ll be experiencing harsh weather or need a more rugged device, a water resistance rating or waterproof certification will be critical. In such cases, pay close attention to the certification of the device to understand its limits.