When choosing a new smartphone, one of the mandatory functions for myself, I consider the presence of water resistance. Many copies have been broken on this topic, and one of the most common arguments among those for whom this characteristic is unimportant is the position 'I'm not going to swim with my smartphone'.
On the one hand, this is so, because not every user finds himself in a situation where water resistance is necessary and allows you to save the device by protecting it from water. On the other hand, the scenario for using a device that is protected against water differs from the scenario for using that without protection against water. And if your phone does not know how to swim without harm to itself, you, without thinking about it, will protect it from getting into situations in which it can get wet. Conversely, if there is protection, then the scenario of use changes.
But even here it is not so simple. Very often I meet people who, using smartphones that have water protection, do not use this opportunity, considering it unreliable and not believing in it. That is, a person, having a certain function designed to significantly increase the comfort of using a gadget, being in captivity of their stereotypes, consciously continues to adhere to the once developed use scenario. Looking at this, many manufacturers also conclude that some functionality is unnecessary or necessary, and often the choice is not in favor of retaining the function, since its absence is a tangible simplification of the design, which means that the technical process becomes cheaper. Who will refuse the opportunity to save money, while not losing much of the public's loyalty?
This is now the case with smartphones Xiaomi and infrared. There is no IrDA in Mi8. And why? Because users started talking – why do I need an infrared port?
These thoughts were pushed to me by a situation that happened literally in the afternoon – sunbathing on the beach, I witnessed how the owner of the Samsung Galaxy S9 smartphone protected him from the effects of the adverse environment. This was expressed in the fact that dust particles were literally blown off from the phone, dressed in armor in the form of a bulky, clearly shockproof cover, putting it only on a clean towel. And there was no question of dipping it in water.
And I, standing up to my waist in water and holding my S8 half under water, wondered if this was a habit, a behavioral pattern, or a lack of faith in technology?
After all, if there is a function, then it's a sin not to use it. Moreover, here it is, the very situation when the capabilities of your smartphone allow you not to worry about its safety and free your brain to receive positive emotions and enjoy your rest.
Often finding myself in situations in which there is a choice, to use the phone, wet it, or not to use it, leaving it dry, I always choose the wet option, since information is often needed here and now.
The IP68 protection standard implies protection against fresh water, however, as tests in real conditions show, the phone can survive immersion in salt water perfectly. Yes, it is not recommended to keep it in salt water for a long time – it is harmful for seals and gaskets, which can lose elasticity under the influence of salt. However, the phone handles short-term dives followed by washing in fresh water.
But you get the opportunity to make interesting and unusual shots of the underwater world.
The worst thing for a new device is the first dive, which will show whether the protection is reliable or not. In my experience, none of my waterproof phones have ever drowned. Perhaps I'm lucky, but I'm inclined to the option that you just need to follow the manufacturer's recommendations and carefully check the plugs and ports.
After the water treatment, the phone will inform you that water has been detected in the USB port. Once it is dry, the message will disappear.
Most often, phones are drowned due to dirt in the SIM tray, which, after closing the tray, prevents the seal from adhering to the body. This is evidenced by my experience in repairing waterproof drowned ones – a leak is almost always in the area of the SIM tray. Therefore, in order not to worry, you just need to be attentive.
Conclusion
You can deliberately close your eyes to progress, or use the position of the fans Apple with their favorite argement – but I don't need that. And you can use your smartphone one hundred percent, receiving shots that are inaccessible to a smartphone without protection from water.
Filmed underwater with a second water-resistant phone
The choice is up to the user to continue to protect the phone from everything and everything or buy a model with water protection and get used to the new user experience.