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Most flagships these days have IP68 dust and ingress protection, and if you’re using Google, Samsung, or Xiaomi mid-range devices, you get IP67 dust and ingress protection. water penetration.

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In CableAC editor Harish Jonnalagadda looks at all things hardware, including phones, audio products, storage servers and routers.

The IP68 rating has been the standard on phones for nearly a decade, with Samsung introducing it on the Galaxy S7 series in 2016. Other brands followed soon after, and these days the rating is now a table stakes feature.

What’s interesting is that most Chinese brands are upgrading to IP69 on their 2025 flagships. Vivo X200X200 Pro and X200 Pro mini all feature IP69 protection, alongside that of OPPO. Find X8 and X8 Pro. Other manufacturers from the BBK stable are also getting in on the action, with the Realme GT 7 Pro and OnePlus 13 get IP69.

So, what is IP69 dust and water resistance, and how is it different from IP68? Generally speaking, an IP rating guarantees protection against dust and water entering a device. The two numbers of the classification indicate the degree of protection; the first number is for protection against solid objects (including dust particles), while the second number is for liquids.

The 6 in IP68 means that the device is indeed dustproof. To achieve this rating, the device is housed in a dust-filled case with constant airflow, and it must resist any dust ingress into the chassis after eight hours of testing.

The second number is interesting, as it’s the key change with 2025 flagships. The 8 in IP68 refers to a device’s ability to be submerged in up to 1.5 meters of water for a duration extended, generally 30 minutes. Most phones meet this standard, but the iPhone 16 Pro Max can be submerged in up to 6 meters of water.

Manufacturers use seals around the SIM card slot and sealant inside the chassis to protect internal components from water damage. With IP69, you get the same level of water immersion, but these devices are also able to withstand high-pressure water jets of up to 1,450 PSI and tolerate high temperatures of up to 80 degrees Celsius (176 degrees Fahrenheit).

Even with an IP68 rating, the phones were pretty much resistant to all weather conditions, and IP69 goes a step further: it’s the highest level of protection available on consumer devices.

Although IP69 offers better protection against liquid ingress, it still comes with the same caveats: it doesn’t cover damage from salt water, so if you submerge your phone in a body of water at high salinity, you should immediately rinse it with fresh water.

Just like with silicon-carbon battery technologythe IP69 rating is limited to Chinese brands, with BBK-owned entities once again leading the way. Samsung, Apple or Google are unlikely to adopt the standard on their devices. This time though, I don’t think it makes a big enough difference: the IP68 protection is still more than adequate.