When the iPhone 7 went on sale in 2016, there was one feature that drew particular attention: its IP67 certification or what is the same, water and dust resistance. Although today it is unthinkable to see a high-end device that does not have this feature, the truth is that this was not always the case.
It is worth noting that there are different degrees of resistance, as there are those that can only withstand splashes and even those that can be submerged without problems in the ocean. Each level is regulated by the degree of IP protection, which indicates the resistance capacity of each mobile, in this case.
It should also be noted that being waterproof is not the same as being water resistant. This subtle but very important difference makes many of us treat our cell phones as if they were invincible against liquids, something that, we repeat, has nothing to do with it.
In the world of telephony, the first waterproof mobiles were sold mainly for the sports market. The first cell phone we knew with this functionality was in 2005 and was a Casio, which was developed in collaboration with LG: the CanU 502S. Since then, cell phones have been improving both in features and in the degree of resistance. Today, water resistance is considered a requirement that in many cases is indispensable.
In the specific case of the iPhone, this type of resistance did not arrive until 2016. Apple finally complied with user demands. However, when the company announced that the iPhone 7 would have IP67 certification instead of IP68, this disappointed many. In the context of the time, the competition was already mounting devices with IP68, so in Apple‘s case this was seen as a delay.
However, the truth is that the iPhone 7 more than proved that it could be submerged in water without damage of any kind (as long as it was shallow water). While the iPhone may not have been able to withstand an extreme diving route through the sea, at least it took the worry out of it.
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