With a collection of intricately placed expensive electrical components inside, the thought of a smartphone getting wet is enough to send any owner into a frenzied panic. Smartphones and water don’t go well together, you see, but there’s an exception. Sony’s brand new Xperia Z will happy take a dunking.
The new smartphone will happily sit underwater for up to 30 minutes, provided the water is no deeper than a metre. This is quite rare for a flagship phone with high tech kit like a 13 megapixel camera and a quad-core processor inside, and especially so for one with such a slim and premium design.
When we think waterproof phone we think something chunky and rubberised – remember the old Nokia 5210? The novelty of making phone calls whilst in the shower was great, but it was heavy and rubbery and not much to look at.
We decided to put Sony’s waterproof claims to the test, because we’re wild like that. Out came a bowl of water and in went the phone, after a little nervousness of course.
We noticed after taking the phone for a swim that the external speaker was quieter than before. This aspect of the phone isn’t covered by a rubberised tab and so it seems a little water can get in. However, 10 minutes later and after a little drying out, the speaker volume returned to normal.
We wouldn’t recommend dunking the phone on a daily basis or pushing the waterproof feature too far, but it is handy that you can use the Xperia Z in the bath or shower without fear of destroying it with one clumsy slip of the hand!