Is it always better to buy a waterproof phone? You may not be able to afford the increased cost

How important is waterproofing for smartphones? For some users, it is undoubtedly an essential feature; for others, it may be a luxury. Waterproofing is like smartphone insurance, protecting the user's investment in the event of an accident. But like insurance, it comes at a price.

Is waterproofing worth the money? This article will briefly analyze this question.

definition

When we talk about waterproof smartphones, we mean phones that are resistant to water. A common definition of waterproof is "not affected by water". Smartphones are not truly impervious to water, they are just resistant to water under certain circumstances.

The highest smartphone water resistance rating currently is IP68, which means a certified phone can survive submersion in fresh water at a depth of 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes, but many manufacturers have developed their own testing standards.

Even if a smartphone is water-resistant, it doesn’t mean it will survive any water attack. Many phones that don’t have a water-resistant rating are also very water-resistant, such as the first generation Moto G.

cost

Therefore, even if a phone is not certified waterproof, but has a certain degree of water resistance, it can be safe from situations that can destroy non-waterproof devices. One question is, how much does it cost for mobile phone manufacturers and consumers to make their phones waterproof?

Android Authority said that making a phone waterproof is considered costly. The cost of waterproofing a phone is not just the cost of using protective rubber inside the phone, but also the consideration of waterproofing when developing the product. Lei Jun, co-founder of Xiaomi, once said that waterproofing would increase the cost of a phone by 20%-30%. Of course, this cost is different for different manufacturers, but the manufacturing cost of the phone will definitely increase.

However, this does not mean that all waterproof phones are necessarily more expensive than all non-waterproof phones.

It should be clarified that the waterproof rating does not mean that the device can be used underwater. Users do not need to pay a high price for fun. The benefit of the waterproof rating is only to protect the phone from damage in unexpected situations.

To consider the benefits and costs of waterproofing ratings, let’s first analyze some data.

How likely is it that the phone will be damaged by water?

It's hard to find data on the number of phones that have been dropped in water. Users don't usually report these incidents to phone manufacturers, so data is often provided by companies that profit from user anxiety. Here are the numbers on phones that have been dropped in water.

The first study

After surveying "more than 2,800 iPhone users" in 2012, warranty service provider SquareTrade estimated that 27% of iPhone users whose phones were damaged had their phones damaged by liquids. It's worth noting that there were fewer iPhones in stock in 2012 than there are today, but that doesn't affect the percentage of phones damaged by liquids.

The survey also found that 30% of users' iPhones were damaged in the 12 months prior to the survey.

Nearly one-third of iPhone users had their phones damaged in 2012, and nearly one-third of those damages were related to liquids. Therefore, we can assume that about one-tenth of iPhone damage in 2012 was caused by liquids.

As with the other surveys described in this article, we don't know what type of liquid damaged the phone, or whether water resistance protects the phone from damage. But we can assume that the iPhone has about a 10% chance of being damaged by liquid, and is just as susceptible to drops as Android phones.

The second study

The study, conducted in 2011 by social networking site Plaxo, showed that around one in five users had dropped their phone in the bathroom.

The water in the bathroom is not fresh water. In this case, the waterproof function may protect the user's phone from damage, but it is not included in the terms of the waterproof rating certification.

Android Authority reporter Scott Adam Gordon believes that phones are more likely to be dropped in the bathroom now than they were in 2011, because there are more sleek smartphones and more reasons for people to use their phones while in the bathroom. But we're going to stick with the numbers.

The third study

The most recent study on this topic, conducted in 2014 by mobile accessories company Zagg, found that 30% of respondents had liquid damage to their phones, and 50% of them had their phones repaired or replaced. This also means, by the way, that about half of the users are using damaged phones.

According to the above data, the probability of a user's mobile phone being damaged by liquid is about 10%-30%, with an average of 20%.

The cost of waterproofing

Android Authority says the price a user pays for water resistance depends on the phone. For flagship smartphones, assuming Xiaomi's 25% estimate is accurate, that means water resistance accounts for an estimated $100 or $200 of a $400 or $800 phone price.

Of course, this data is open to debate and may reflect the situation of Xiaomi's low-priced phones - in other words, Lei Jun may be referring to the cost of adding waterproofing to a $100 phone, which will increase by $25 (about RMB 172), while the cost of a $500 phone (about RMB 3429) will increase by $100. At present, waterproofing is still considered a high-end feature.

Repairing a water-damaged phone is usually expensive because it requires disassembling the phone. One study estimated the cost of repairing a water-damaged phone to be between £65 and £200. However, it is worth noting that in all cases, a damaged phone may not be repairable.

result

The above data shows that there is a 20% chance that the user's phone will be damaged by liquid. In order to obtain the function that may prevent the phone from being damaged by liquid, the user needs to pay 100-200 US dollars. Here, the possibility is very important: if the depth exceeds 1.5 meters or the liquid is not fresh water, the so-called waterproof function cannot guarantee that the phone is safe. If Coke is spilled on the phone, the phone may not have any problems, but it does not necessarily mean that there will be no problems.

The cost of the phone could increase by 20 percent, or it could cost $80 to $250 to fix, though liquid-damaged phones may not be repairable at all.

Other factors

Adding waterproofing may affect not only the cost of the phone, but also its use. Adding protective materials to the phone may affect its size, thickness, weight, and even the sound quality of the speakers. Users can also add third-party waterproofing technology or waterproof casings to their phones, and their advantages (or disadvantages) are also worth exploring, but this would make the discussion too complicated and is not covered in this article.

summary

The data in this article is estimated from multiple sources. There is no clear, specific answer to the question of how much water resistance adds to the user's cost or how much it saves the user. In addition, the data in this article may not be accurate, and the companies that conducted the three studies would benefit from the conclusion that liquid damage to smartphones is common. Xiaomi's estimate that water resistance increases the cost of the phone by 20%-30% seems a bit high. The price of the iPhone 7 with water resistance is not 20% higher than that of the iPhone 6. However, in general, water-resistant phones are generally more expensive than non-waterproof phones.

What should we do?

While Gordon doesn't think it's a bad idea to buy a waterproof phone, that doesn't mean it's necessary for a phone to be waterproof. The number of waterproof phones on the market is increasing and will continue to increase, so "spending extra money" for waterproofing is no longer a necessity.

Gordon believes a more important question is whether users need to buy a phone case. Most studies on phone damage show that phones are more likely to be damaged by drops than water damage. So users need to consider whether to prioritize waterproofing or buying a case.

Whether a phone survives a fall depends on the type of case. If the user's goal is to protect the phone from damage and save money, a case will benefit the user more than waterproofing, and the cost is not high.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.