Register now for better personalized quote!
Just how water-resistant is that box filled with electricity?
I remember a time when you wouldn't dare let water anywhere near a smartphone or power bank, as it would almost certainly mean disaster. Today, however, most smartphones are designed to be water- and dust-resistant to some extent, and even gadgets like power banks and portable power stations are following suit.
Also: The best portable power stations you can buy
But how can you determine exactly how water- and dust-resistant a device is? And what's the difference between something being water-resistant and truly waterproof?
This is where IP ratings come into play. IP, short for Ingress Protection, is an international standard used to measure a device's resistance to water, dust, and other foreign objects. It's expressed in the form of IPXX, where each "X" represents a numeral. The first digit indicates protection against solid particles, like dust, while the second digit measures resistance to liquids. The numbers for dust range from 0 (not dust-resistant) to 6 (dust-tight), while the numbers for liquids range from 0 (no protection) to 9 (protection against high-temperature, high-pressure water jets).
Also: My favorite power bank for traveling is waterproof and surprisingly lightweight
If an X appears in the rating, that indicates unknown, meaning a test wasn't carried out. For example, IPX5 means that no test was carried out for dust intrusion.
| IP Rating | Dust Protection (First Digit) | Liquid Protection (Second Digit) |
|---|---|---|
| X | Unknown | Unknown |
| 0 | No protection against dust or solid objects | No protection against liquids |
| 1 | Protection against solid objects larger than 50 mm (e.g., hands) | Protection against vertically falling water drops |
| 2 | Protection against solid objects larger than 12.5 mm (e.g., fingers) | Protection against vertically falling water drops when the device is tilted up to 15
|
English
Pусский
Français
Español
Português
Hot Tags :
