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Sony Technology

Sony Decides Its Waterproof Xperia Phones Are Not Actually Waterproof 136

Mark Wilson writes: Sony seems determined on confusing its customers by giving very conflicting advice about its Xperia smartphones. If you're familiar with the range, you'll no doubt be aware of the advertising material that appears to show users taking photos in the rain and even (seemingly) underwater at the pool. Take a look at the picture above and you'd probably assume that a) it depicts someone shooting a video or taking a photo in a swimming pool, and b) you can do the same with your phone. But you'd be wrong (at least on b) because Sony has changed its mind about what waterproof means. Or it doesn't know. It really depends on where you look on the Sony website.
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Sony Decides Its Waterproof Xperia Phones Are Not Actually Waterproof

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    • and legal.

      The real problem is the utter idiocy of the "IP" standards. They're just not meaningful for consumers.

      In fact, real waterproof dive watches are not even covered under this bullshit standard. The scale pretty much stops beyond 1.5M water pressure.

      I'm not sure exactly what body makes up the "IP" standards board, but what does seem apparent is that the standard scales have been designed such that the industry can claim things to be "waterproof" without having to actually be waterproof by any standard the

      • You are mistaken. IP standards aren't idiotic, but they never were meant for the consumers. It is a protection standard for industrial electric stuff, like the consoles of heavy machinery, light switches in swimming pools, on-board computers of trucks and so on.

        • You are mistaken.

          If I am mistaken, them I am only slightly so. It may be that the standards weren't meant for consumers, but then it's idiotic to use them as consumer standards.

          That's basically what I meant: for the most part it makes little sense to use it for consumer products.

          • Well, this rating is more for the industry so the consumer grade products can be used in certain industrial settings.
            Like, for example, consumer grade phones for vehicle tracking. An IP67 phone is what some companies use for that, although for certain use cases the hardware has to have an ATEX certification (say vehicle tracking for fuel trucks), but there are manufacturers that, in fact, repackage consumer phones and tablets into ATEX compliant casing.

  • by gweilo8888 ( 921799 ) on Sunday September 13, 2015 @03:18PM (#50514917)
    I know because I've used it underwater multiple times without the slightest ill effect. This is warranty semantics, nothing more or less.
    • Re: (Score:1, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward

      If the warranty doesn't cover it, it shouldn't appear in advertising materials. Overclocking processors generally voids the warranty and in general overclocking isn't something that appears in marketing materials for most or all processors. There may be a mention of the processor being unlocked, but they don't usually mention that it can be overclocked to whatever level.

      In this case, they shouldn't be advertising the phone as being waterproof if they're not going to cover damage that results. Same goes for

      • by grumbel ( 592662 ) <grumbel+slashdot@gmail.com> on Sunday September 13, 2015 @03:57PM (#50515113) Homepage

        Overclocking processors generally voids the warranty and in general overclocking isn't something that appears in marketing materials for most or all processors.

        Actually the box of my AMD FX-8320 reads:

        * Unlocked out of the box
        * Achieve ultimate power with up to 5.0Ghz and 8 cores
        * Overclock your system for supercharged performance

        The joke is when you read the included papers inside of the box:

        Use only the heatsink/fan provided. Use of any other heatsink/fan will void warranty

        • Comment removed based on user account deletion
        • by iamacat ( 583406 )

          Those processors are likely designed to safely shutdown before any damage happens. And the company is cool with collecting premium for unlocked devices and paying for replacement in rare cases the chip is fried.

    • "Dear Consumers, please enjoy the advertised capabilities of our product; and be sure to consider them when making a comparison with our competitors; but don't expect any sort of support for this exhortation if it might cost us money. Thanks, Sony."
    • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      This is warranty semantics, nothing more or less.

      Doesn't that worry you? Say one of the seals fails under water and your phone dies. Seems like Sony will try to wriggle out of honouring the warranty, otherwise why include this language at all?

      • This is warranty semantics, nothing more or less.

        Doesn't that worry you? Say one of the seals fails under water and your phone dies. Seems like Sony will try to wriggle out of honouring the warranty, otherwise why include this language at all?

        They can't wriggle out of legally required minimum warranties. That is why we have them here. The text can usually be ignored. Apple got fined in several countries when their sales and support people quoted their warranty text as that was deliberately misleading customers to believe they have less warranty than the EU minimum.

        Of course if the warranty is not requied, well - then the company can drop for any stupid reason they see fit.

        • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

          I agree, it won't hold up in court, but the fact that it is there suggests that Sony are trying to get out of warranty repairs and will offer resistance when you try to claim. I'd rather buy from someone else who will be reasonable about it.

    • I know because I've used it underwater multiple times without the slightest ill effect. This is warranty semantics, nothing more or less.

      Warranty semantics are important if you're trying to get service under warranty.

  • by lucm ( 889690 ) on Sunday September 13, 2015 @03:19PM (#50514919)

    you need to root the phone to make it waterproof.

  • Ads for trucks often show warranty-voiding off road activities. It's not CGI, the trucks will DO the stuff in the ad, but you're probably SOT (Spot Outta Truck) when you break it that way.
    • What is a warranty voiding activity on a truck? Mine has been off road a bit (camping mostly, not 4 wheeling) and I have never heard once about there being any issues with off road usage of a truck.

  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • Honestly, I wish I dunked my Z2 the day it came in the mail. This way, if there was a problem, I could just chargeback. (I bought it straight from Sony.) Otherwise, the wettest I've gotten it is to dip a corner.
    • by hawguy ( 1600213 )

      Honestly, I wish I dunked my Z2 the day it came in the mail. This way, if there was a problem, I could just chargeback. (I bought it straight from Sony.) Otherwise, the wettest I've gotten it is to dip a corner.

      A chargeback doesn't get you off the hook from paying - it only returns the money to your credit card if the credit card company decides in your favor (they usually do, because why not? They just take the money from the merchant's holdback, and it's not like the merchant can go elsewhere, he has to accept major credit cards).

      However, the merchant is free to pursue you through legal means to collect the debt.

      • by GWBasic ( 900357 )

        I don't think it would have come to that. The chargeback is just final recourse if Sony didn't honor their warranty.

    • by iserlohn ( 49556 )

      Used my Z2 in swimming pools extensively several times. Still works fine. Just make sure the flaps are snug.

    • by marsu_k ( 701360 )
      My Z2 has survived dunking many times (I often just wash it instead of wiping the screen) - even survived a geysir while visiting Iceland (while the rate of eruptions may be somewhat constant, the direction and volume less so).
  • It appears that it does meet the long-established standard, and Sony explains what the standard requires. The ad showing the person in the swimming pool may be a bit questionable , though. On that note ...

    We offer an inexpensive hot spare service, so that if anything happens to your server, our copy takes over. Right at the top of the order form, it says clearly that this is designed to be an inexpensive service, to provide great value. Everything is therefore fully automated and nobody has tested it

  • same shit since 1979... "The first Walkman weighed in at a solid 390 grams (plus 50 grams for the headphones). With its strong square lines and metallic blue finish, it was almost as streamlined as today's surge protectors. To emphasize its portability, Morito reportedly had a shirt custom-tailored with an oversized chest pocket in which to carry the 3.5 x 5.5 x 1.25 inch device." https://reason.com/archives/20... [reason.com]
  • Waterproof, The Coast Guard definition is found in 46 CFR 110.15-1(b)19, which states that a "Waterproof machine means a totally enclosed machine so constructed that a stream of water from a hose with a nozzle one inch in diameter that delivers at least 65 gallons per minute can be played on the machine from any direction from a distance of about 10 feet for a period of not less than 5 minutes without leakage..."
  • Between wireless charging and bluetooth there is no need for ports or air spaces inside the device. Customers get a cool scuba diving phone and manufacturers end up with much better reputation and lower repair costs for water/sand/dust damage. Win-win!

    • I modded your comment down, but realized it was only because I disagreed with your statement, and I should be voicing my disagreement with a comment instead.

      A sealed phone as you describe means a battery that is not user serviceable. I am strongly in the "a device's battery should be user serviceable" camp.
      • I don't see how that's relevant. Not everybody wants a user serviceable battery, and many phones don't have that, so it isn't a need.

  • by Anonymous Coward

    I took the phone into a 45 min cenote swim trip in cancun and it's still working (I'm typing on it now). I took pictures and video but the touchscreen was flaky when wet. It mostly sat in my pocket under water.

    However I did develop corrosion in the headphone jack within a week. This made the jack useless until I tried lemon juice (fail) and later vinegar (ftw) to fix it.

    Before my purchase, advertising said you could take video underwater. Photos showed a guy underwater with it. But Sony's later backpedaling

  • I bought an Xperia Z1 from swappa for $150 (to replace my aging Samsung Galaxy S) and it was a pretty good phone. Now I can barely use the thing without bluetooth as the microphones are wonky and 50% of the time I use the damn thing to call someone they can't hear me. I did put it under running water a couple of times (made sure all the little rubber gaskets were secure and rinsed it for 2 seconds in tape water). I'm not sure if that borked up the 2 microphones or not.

    Le sigh.

  • Dunk safety (Score:4, Insightful)

    by redcliffe ( 466773 ) on Monday September 14, 2015 @06:13AM (#50517653) Homepage Journal

    I don't want a phone I can use underwater. I want a phone that will be fine if I accidentally drop it in water, get pushed into a swimming pool or get drenched in a rainstorm. As long as the common accidents are survivable, I'll be happy.

    • I use the Kyocera Brigadier. I previously used the Moto Razr M. The Razr worked great when wet, though I did lose the speakerphone mic when it was soaking wet in the rain once, but it came back after drying out a bit.

      Both of those phones are advertised as waterproof, and both still work (my son is using my old Razr after breaking his Moto X's screen). There are phones out there that actually are waterproof, it is just that Sony is an asshole I guess.

  • A friend had older model and got somehow tricked by advertising, decided to dive to sea with it.

    They restored the SD card, it actually has video of fish checking it out.

  • I've owned a Z3 compact for a year. Best phone I've ever had. Not because of the waterproofing but due to the awesome battery life and small (in today's terms) size. But that's just by my criteria.

    As other owners of the line have noted above: yes I do use it while having a bath, and I casually wash it off under tap water. Never taken it to a pool, though it has been submerged in the bathtub (though the depth would be something like 10cm). Would I try to take an underwater photo? Yes, I wouldn't think twic

  • I had a Galaxy XCover 2 that got water damaged after filming underwater.
    I brought it to the service center and they basically told me that waterproof phones are actually not meant to be used underwater, that they get them regularly and they are often not covered by warranty. I think they even said "false advertizing" explicitly.
    They sent my phone back to Samsung and I got a replacement for free so I guess I was lucky.

    "Waterproof" is a relative safety feature but don't expect more.

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