iPhone 6s Surprisingly Water Resistant, but Not Waterproof

[MacRumors]

Since the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus have been out for a few days, some users have begun to test the breaking point of the new devices, especially in regards to the possibility of water resistance. A handful of YouTubers have put together some videos showcasing impressive results of both the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus under a few inches of water, but the devices fare much worse when put to the test under four feet of water in a swimming pool.

The first video pits the iPhone 6s Plus against the Galaxy S6 Edge in a small container, under a few inches of water. Each smartphone survived an impressive thirty minutes submerged under water, and appeared to retain their entire functionalities afterwards. As noted by Keaton Keller, the creator of the video and part of the TechSmartt channel, last year the iPhone 6 died after a brief minute facing the same test.

The second video crafts a similar test, but this time compares an iPhone 6s to an iPhone 6s Plus under similar amounts of water as Keller's video. After about an hour, both versions of the new iPhone retained functionality with features like the camera, 3D Touch, and other basic touch screen responses still intact. Zach Straley, the video's creator, followed up a few days later with an update video that showed both iPhones unlocking with Touch ID, having unaltered sound, and with completely functional charging ports and headphone jacks.

Finally, iDeviceHelp posted a video a bit different than the previous two, this time submerging an iPhone 6s Plus into a swimming pool under four feet of water. After one minute, the phone displayed slight touch screen issues, but appeared relatively safe to use. After two full minutes underwater, the device's screen began to fade out, then turned off and refused to reboot a few moments afterwards. A few minutes later, the iPhone 6s Plus grew hotter and hotter, and about two hours later it was completely dead and couldn't be woken up.

Overall, it appears that the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus have seen measured improvements in water resistance over last year's models, but complete submergence under liquids up to a few feet will still cause the new devices to meet their demise. So while new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus users can rest assured a small amount of rain or other liquid won't immediately harm their device, larger accidents like dropping it into a swimming pool or lake are still cause for concern.

It should be noted that even under a few inches of water, the iPhones didn't come away completely unscathed, Straley noting in his follow-up video that the iPhone 6s in particular saw a slight digital aberration in the form of a diagonal line across the top of the screen. Still, it appears that Apple has made a noticeable attempt to bolster the iPhone's waterproof quality, which may lend early rumors of the "iPhone 7" a small bit of credibility.

Article Link: iPhone 6s Surprisingly Water Resistant, but Not Waterproof

 

[definitive]

Is this what's referred to as "click baiting"? Because obviously this phone isn't waterproof, and yet we have articles like this one, aka "water is wet".

 

[carrrrrlos]

Still not stupid proof.

 

[Alex Moran]

1000 bucks says tis will be spun into "watergate"

 

[happydude]

so a swimming pool is filled with chlorine or bromine, would like to have seen a comparable submersion test in 4 feet of "regular" water for comparison sake. or 2" of swimming pool water. the ions and chemicals in the pool could react differently to the phone's internals than plain water.

 

[greytmom]

While I'll admit to enjoying the drop tests and even the bend tests, this one hurts my heart.

 

[Oblivious.Robot]

Maybe Apple is just paving the way for iPhone 7.

-
On unrelated note, are we throwing iPhones in water to celebrate water/life on Mars perhaps? XD

 

[taptic]

I'm just glad they're not sticking gasket cover things on the ports...

 

[John Mcgregor]

A monkey knows that there is a difference when you submerge it in a bowl of water and swimming pool.

 

[nouveau-apple]

People thought the iPhone 6s was water resistant? Why???

 

[vertsix]

It depends on what's in the water I think.

Regular distilled water doesn't have any minerals, so it doesn't short out the components inside the phone.

It's not water itself that shorts out the components.

(If I'm wrong, don't yell at me. I'm not a physicist.)

 

[macduke]

This is excellent for most people. The majority of water damage I've seen for phones comes from dropping them into the sink, toilet or bathtub. This should provide plenty of protection for those environments and I'm sure will be welcome by those who have toddlers. People aren't going to go swimming with their phone.

 

[perkedel]

this is probably designed so it would cut down on apple care claim on water damage; a slight dunk to the toilet bowl, a splash while walking at the beach, or dropped to kitchen sink full of water should not affect the new 6s.

it wasn't really designed for use while swimming. Then again, knowing stupidity, someone will out-idiot your idiotproof design.

 

[macduke]

I have a feeling that the iPhone 7 or 7s will be labeled as water resistant similar to the Apple Watch. There's a chance that Apple might go the inductive charging route with a diagnostic port for fixing issues, and the new device may be too thin for a headphone jack so it could ship with bluetooth headphones. They could also use a built-in programmable SIM with no port access. If they implement Touch ID into the display using 3D Touch, the thing will be rather closed up and ready for easier waterproofing.

 

[jaydee24601]

Donate, please, the expenditures from these phone ruination-romps to some needy children or something, please ...

 

[maxsix]

Maybe Apple is just paving the way for iPhone 7.

-
On unrelated note, are we throwing iPhones in water to celebrate water on Mars perhaps? XD

Oh rats...
All along I was under the impression that they were focused on Pluto

 

[Oblivious.Robot]

Oh rats...
All along I was under the impression that they were focused on Pluto

Poor Pluto can't catch a break, demoted and now even lost its spotlight lol.

 

[HenryDJP]

Ugh, stupidity never ends with some people in this world. If an electronic product suddenly gets HOT after being in water for 2 minutes then don't handle the damn thing with bare hands. Ever thought about getting shocked? Sheesh. All these clickbait YouTube videos.....

 

[cjc2104]

Definitely good to know, however, since Apple isn't noting this as an official device feature water damage probably won't be covered by Applecare or the 1 year warranty. I am very surprised though. Hopefully they make this an official feature on the iPhone7 along with wireless charging...

 

[pwhitehead]

I think it'll be more safe to say that its water resistant.

 

[j_farago]

Of course it didn't work in the pool test, he didn't download the waterproof app.

 

[Sonmi451]

When will the clickbait stop? When will macrumors stop pushing articles like this? Where is your integrity?

 

[commander.data]

Doesn't Apple generally under-promise these things to avoid too many liability complaints? Apple says the Apple Watch is only water resistant but people have shown it's waterproof enough to go in the swimming pool with it. In this case, Apple doesn't claim it, but the iPhone 6s probably qualifies as water resistant. This is probably intended as more of a customer experience benefit against incident water contact like splashes from the rain or the faucet rather than officially marketed as a feature so as to discourage people from using the phone in those situations.

 

[Four oF NINE]

Apple never claimed the iPhone 6S was waterproof.. Not sure what these tests are supposed to prove or disprove.

 

[sunapple]

Both my sister and mother have dropped their iPhone 3GS in a toilet and the phones didn't survive. They'll be happy to know that the 6S can be thrown into the toilet with an above-average succes rate.