So...
How water proof is the iPhone 7?
And what kind of help can we expect from Apple if our phone DOES get wet?
Lets open it up and find out.
[Intro]
First off, its important to remember that Apple never said that their phone is 'waterproof'.
Just 'splash and water resistant'.
The terminology is very very important and Ill tell you why.
The Apple iPhone 7 has an ingress protection of 67, The first number is talking about solids,
like dust.
The second number is talking about liquids.
A 7, at the end, means that the phone can be Immersed in water shallower than 1 meter
for short periods of time.
Much different than Samsungs' IP68 rating that can be Submersed in water deeper than
1 meter.
The testing standards are different for each number.
IP69 is the highest IP rating, which would be able to withstand steam jet cleaning.
Here is one phone with an IP69 rating.
So when compared to other water resistant phones, Apple is at the lowest end of immersion
protection.
The most important thing to remember from this whole video is that if your phone does
get wet, it is not covered by any kind of warranty whatsoever.
Its written pretty clearly on Apples website.
"Liquid Damage not covered under warranty".
There aren't very many ingress points for water on the iPhone 7.
Especially since Apple got rid of that headphone jack.
Apple saved a significant amount of money by removing that hole, and not having to waterproof
it.
I'll be talking more in depth about the headphone jack in a future video, so buckle up for that.
Lets start with the biggest hole in this phone.
One you might not think of.
The screen slot.
The gap between the edge of the screen and the edge of the phone is the largest area
that needs to be sealed.
You can see the adhesive clearly when I did my bend test, AND when I was removing the
screen from the phone.
This tacky black substance is water resistant and helps keep water and dust out of the phone.
The second biggest hole is the charging port.
Here is the port itself.
Its got 6 different screws in close proximity to the port that hold it tight against the
frame of the phone.
The rubber ring around the tip helps keep water out, And the lightning port hole is
sealed with this clear plastic.
Each of the little components on the charging port ribbon is also protected by the plastic.
This is pretty smart, just in case water DOES get inside the phone, the electronics close
by the opening will still be protected.
What about these 2 speaker holes on the bottom?
The one to the right of the charging port is the loud speaker hole.
It has a thin mesh inside the exterior holes to help keep water out, as well as a thin
mesh inside the speaker itself.
So there are two simple layers of protection.
To the left side of the charging port is a microphone hole, and that is still protected
by the same type of water proof mesh.
It lets air and sound through, and as long as the water pressure is minimal, liquid would
rather stick to itself than pass through the small openings.
Thumbs up for the sweet waterproof mesh!
What about the earpiece?
It is held tightly against the screen of the phone with several screws.
A rubber seal around the front also helps keep water out, along with multiple layers
of that same water proof mesh.
There is even mesh on the back of the speaker.
Just in case.
So what is keeping water out of the side buttons?
The power button internal housing is here, along the edge.
I pop off these two screws, and normally there would be some kind of rubber sidewall between
the button layers and the side of the phone, but it looks like Apple is just hoping that
the really small holes here work in their favor.
If I remove the button entirely, each prong of the button has a little rubber washer on
the tip.
And that will probably help to keep water out, as long as its extremely shallow water.
With no pressure.
The sim card trey has a loose fitting little rubber ring around the edge of it.
So how will apple be able to tell if your phone has been wet?
Right here on the motherboard is a water damage indicator.
It looks all innocent and white when its dry.
But turns red the moment liquid touches it.
The mother board itself is NOT water resistant at all.
Some electronics will be covered in a hydrophobic spray, that repels water.
Liquid will bead up, and roll off, without sticking to the board at all.
But as you can clearly see from both water droplets here, the water is clinging very
tightly to the mother board.
Signaling that it is not treated with any hydrophobic coatings.
So, if water gets in, water will kill it.
So...
If you use an iPhone as a your daily device, I would strongly recommend that you still
avoid water.
Just think of the IP67 as an added layer of protection, a slight peace of mind.
But do not trust it with regular contact with water, and definitely keep it out of the hot
shower.
Steam gets in places that regular water does not, and if your phone gets water damaged...
its entirely your problem and not Apples.
What do you think?
Do you trust Apples water resistant measures?
If you want to see the slightly beefier water resistant protections on the Note 7, go ahead
and click the link up in the corner, OR down in the video description.
Samsung even manged to waterproof their headphone jack, its pretty interesting.
Like always, my behind the scenes stuff is on Twitter and Instagram, so follow me there
so you can be the first to see high end tech reviewed from the inside.
Thanks for watching!
Hope to see you around.