It wasn’t long ago that a dunk into the toilet or pool spelled almost certain doom for a smartphone. Sure, there were methods that might help dry out the phone, but it was always an anxiety-ridden experience when your phone got wet. That’s why, by and large, most manufacturers these days include some sort of IP water and dust resistance rating.
1:02
Water and dust IP ratings: What does IP68 actually mean?
Your phones and devices come with a code to tell you how waterproof it is – but what do these codes mean?
These days, IP68 smartphones are fairly commonplace. For those who don’t know IP ratings, the “6” and “8” in the IP rating are for dust and water resistance, respectively. The six means that it’s dustproof, while the eight means that the device can be continuously submerged in a specific depth of water for a specific amount of time.
After testing five of the best IP68 phones on the market, we’re happy to report that you don’t have to sacrifice superb smartphone performance for extra durability. To help you decide which waterproof handset is right for you, here’s a roundup of our tried and true choices, starting with our first choice, the epic Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Best waterproof phones: Our top picks
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
1. Best overall waterproof phone
It doesn’t get much better than this
$1270 $1420 Save $150
The Galaxy S24 Ultra is the best overall waterproof phone. It comes with a gaggle of features, top-end specs for 2024, and excellent battery life. It’ll play all the games, perform all the tasks, and more while resisting a watery grave.
- IP68 rating
- Top end specs for 2024 smartphones
- Impressive screen, performance, and battery
- It’s expensive
- Despite its titanium branding, it’s still prone to drops
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is our first choice for waterproof phones. It comes with the standard IP68 rating, which ticks the checkbox for this list, and it has a lot more. Samsung moved to a flat display this year, which will mean users have a lot more options for Galaxy S24 Ultra screen protectors.
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Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra checks all of the boxes for a modern flagship phone, including Galaxy AI. Here’s our full review of Samsung’s best.
Plus, its maxed-out specs deliver great performance, battery life, and display quality. The phone had a few stumbles out of the gate, which Samsung is fixing. One such example is the S24 vividness tool to juice the display saturation.
However, this monstrous phone will cost you a pretty penny as it routinely goes for north of $1000. Those who want the waterproof and Samsung built quality can check out the other S24 models as they all have IP68 ratings.
Apple iPhone 15
2. Best waterproof phone for Apple users
This iPhone isn’t afraid of the elements
The Apple iPhone 15 is the base model of Apple’s current lineup and features the same hardware as the iPhone 14 but with a faster GPU, upgraded main camera and front camera improvements. It comes in five color options, and is IP68 certified.
- Great design with good color options
- Excellent performance
- Excellent display
- No fun, upgraded design
- Higher-tier variants can get expensive
The Apple iPhone 15 is, without a doubt, your best choice if you want an iPhone. There are several flavors of the iPhone 15, including the regular, Plus, Pro, and Pro Max models. They vary in size, specs, and price. However, they are all IP68 certified, so you don’t have to worry about that at least.
Apple iPhone 15: A stealth choice
There is every reason to buy this iPhone, and that applies even if you have an iPhone 14. Here’s why the iPhone 15 is an excellent choice.
What makes the iPhone 15 the best option for Apple users is that it’s the latest one with great upgrades. It has the best specs on any phone Apple has produced. The more budget-friendly variants, like the base model iPhone 15, have some scaled-back features to drive the price down, but nothing too serious.
We’re big fans of its design and performance. Even the camera is very good. At the low end, you can get an iPhone 15 for $800 directly from Apple and there are almost perpetually mobile carrier deals where you can get it for less or on a payment plan.
Google Pixel 8 Pro
3. Best waterproof phone for Android fans
Google’s cool new camera software on top of IP68 resistance
The Google Pixel 8 Pro is the latest flagship from Google. It includes the latest Google-made Tensor GPU, an amazing camera, and, of course, IP68 water resistance. It’ll do what you need it to do.
- Camera performance
- Great display
- Clean software experience
- Battery life is merely average
- Snapdragon-powered flagships offer more performance
The Google Pixel 8 Pro is Google’s latest flagship, released Oct. 2023. It offers a similar set of features to the previous year’s Pixel 7 Pro, including an outstanding camera, a clean software experience, and a wonderful display.
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Google is also committed to seven years of software updates to the phone, so you don’t have to worry about being out of date with a Pixel 8 Pro for a long time. The Android space has stabilized quite a bit in recent years, so the downsides to the Pixel 8 Pro are essentially identical to last year’s phone.
Snapdragon-powered phones simply have more horsepower, although only power users need to worry about that. Google’s latest Tensor chip is no slouch, it’s just not the best one. In any case, the Pixel 8 Pro is an obvious choice, and goes toe-to-toe with any Android phone.
Google Pixel 7a
4. Best budget waterproof phone
It does more for less while also staying dry
The Google Pixel 7a is a robust, inexpensive smartphone that handles the elements relatively well. It sports an IP67 rating, which will keep it safe from the occasional dunk into water and comes in at under $500 MSRP.
- Great camera performance, regardless of price point
- Surprisingly good design and build quality
- Clean software experience with consistent updates
- Display could be brighter
- More expensive than prior Google Pixel “a” phones
It’s difficult to say negative things about the Google Pixel 7a. It costs $500, has the same flagship-level processor as the regular Pixel 7 series, and takes excellent pictures. In terms of value, there aren’t many phones on the market that can boast the abilities of the Pixel 7a.
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It also comes with IP67 water and dust resistance. That means it’ll take a dunk, but you shouldn’t keep it underwater for a long time. The Pixel 7a is indeed more expensive than the 6a or prior devices in the lineup. However, Google packs a lot of value in there. The camera performance is excellent and competes with phones at twice its price point.
While the Tensor G2 isn’t the newest kid on the block anymore, it’s still capable of good performance. It’s not quite IP68 rated, but phones this inexpensive with IP68 ratings usually don’t have this level of usability. Just don’t leave it underwater and you’ll be fine.
Asus Zenfone 10
5. Best compact option for a waterproof phone
Sturdy and pocketable device
The Zenfone 10 delivers flagship performance, has a great display and camera, but squeezes it into a comfortable one-handed, compact form that boasts IP68 and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
- Compact and practical design
- Flagship speed and performance
- Great primary camera with excellent stabilization
- Rear texture won’t be to everyone’s taste
- Ultrawide camera isn’t amazing
If you’re looking for a phone that’s smaller and easier to manage with one hand, then perhaps the Asus Zenfone 10 is where it’s at for you. Instead of a massive display like the Pixel 7 Pro or S23 Ultra offers, the Zenfone 10 has a respectable 5.9-inch display that’s plenty bright and clear.
Asus Zenfone 10: The compact phone of your dreams
With its small size, tactile back and bold design, the Asus Zenfone 10 is a compact dream.
It boasts an IP68 rating, which Asus lists in the small print on the Zenfone 10’s site as being able to withstand being submerged at a depth of 1.5 meters in “tap water” for 30 minutes. Here’s a fun fact about the Zenfone 10: It has a 3.5mm headphone jack for wired headphones and is still waterproof — a double rarity.
The Zenfone 10 comes in some fun colors too, including eclipse red, midnight black, aurora green, comet white and starry blue.
Sony Xperia 1 V
6. Best premium waterproof smartphone
Steady, powerful, versatile
$1198 $1398 Save $200
The Sony Xperia 1 V is an expensive, but capable smartphone. It sports a truly fantastic OLED display, good battery life, and one of the most versatile camera systems of any smartphone. It’s expensive, but premium smartphones often are.
- Excellent design with textured back and grooved sides
- Flagship-level performance to match the great OLED display
- Versatile camera system
- It’s expensive
- Versatile cameras come with complicated software
Fun fact, Sony was one of the first smartphone OEMs to include IP ratings with its smartphones, with the Sony Xperia Z1S being notable for its water resistance. The Sony Xperia 1 V continues that tradition with an interesting, but still very waterproof IP65/IP68 rating. On top of that, the Xperia 1 V comes with flagship-level specs, an outstanding display, and a unique camera system.
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For the cameras, it houses three of them, including a 48MP main shooter, a 12MP telephoto lens, and a 12MP ultrawide. They can shoot 4K video up to 120FPS and do a lot of other neat things. However, it does require a learning curve because Sony’s software isn’t the most intuitive.
In any case, this phone does a little bit of everything and doesn’t complain much when doing it. The S24 Ultra is still better, but this phone is $200 less expensive than the S24 Ultra, and it only comes unlocked.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
7. Best foldable waterproof phone
As great as it gets
$1500 $1800 Save $300
Yes, foldables can be waterproof and the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is a prime example. With its beefy specs, IPX8 water resistance rating, and massive internal screen, the Z Fold 5 is arguably the most premium option on the list.
- Excellent displays
- Flagship specs means flagship performance
- Folding design has only gotten better over the years
- It’s not so strong against dust as it is water
- Still supremely expensive
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the most expensive smartphone on this list. It’s also the only one with a hinge and multiple displays, so at least it’s not for no reason. Surprisingly, the Z Fold 5 is waterproof, sporting an IPX8 rating.
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The “X” there means that it has no dust resistance rating, so while it can take a dunk in the pool, it can’t handle a rough day at the beach. It’s something to keep in mind. Otherwise, you’re getting a high-end smartphone on the bleeding edge of technology.
The internal screen is basically a tablet with the external screen being good enough for basic smartphone needs like calls, texts, social media, and web browsing. The specs make it a powerhouse as well. While the price has come down from earlier iterations, it’s still quite expensive, so consider carefully before purchasing.
The bottom line: What’s the best waterproof phone on the market?
It depends mostly on what you want. The latest iPhones are all waterproof so Apple fans are covered. Meanwhile, Android fans have multiple phones to choose from. We think the Galaxy S24 Ultra covers the bases for the most people with a premium design, flagship specs, excellent cameras, and great battery life. Obviously, for Apple fans, any version of the iPhone 15 will work for you.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Editor’s Choice
Sturdy and pocketable device
$1270 $1420 Save $150
Now, that doesn’t mean that there are no other good options. The Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 7a, Sony Xperia 1 V, and Galaxy Z Fold 5 are all outstanding options, while the Asus Zenfone 10 picks up the slack in the compact smartphone segment. No matter what kind of waterproof phone you want, there is an option for you.
How did we choose the best waterproof phones?
Pocket-lint has been reviewing phones as a company for two decades, so we know a thing or two about smartphones. For the most part, nearly all smartphones these days come with waterproof ratings. This list omitted the non-waterproof phones and added some other, juicy options. We have also reviewed every phone on this list.
FAQ
Q: How do I know if my phone is waterproof?
The first thing you should do is go to Google and type in the model name of your phone along with the phrase “IP rating” to see if your phone has one. From there, it’s just knowing that the IP ratings mean. If it’s an IPX4 or IPX5, it’s splash-proof. IPX7 and IPX8 can handle dunks in water at varying depths for varying times. IPX9, which is rare, means that a phone can be underwater for a lot longer.
If your phone doesn’t have an IP rating, that means it’s not certified as waterproof. However, some OEMs, like OnePlus, will say their phones are water-resistant without seeking out official IP certification. For OEMs like that, your mileage may vary. Phones without IP ratings or waterproof claims are 100% not waterproof.
Q: Are there any waterproof foldable phones?
Water resistance on foldable phones isn’t very common, but it’s slowly becoming something we’re starting to see. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5, Z Flip 5 and the Google Pixel Fold were all recently released and all carry an IPX8 rating for water resistance.
To be clear, that rating lacks any certification for dust resistance, but according to Samsung, the IPX8 rating on its foldables means that they “will function properly even after being submerged in fresh water for up to 30 minutes under specific conditions.”
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