Samsung Galaxy S4 Active meets its match in a swimming pool

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Active has an IP67 certification. That means that the rugged version of the Android flagship model is supposed to be able to withstand submersion in 3 feet of water for 30 minutes. In fact, the Aqua Mode on the device is supposed to allow users to take a video of the device underwater. It all sounds great in practice, but for one tech reviewer with a pretty high profile newspaper (you remember what those things are, right?), the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active met an untimely end in a swimming pool.

Remember, the idea behind the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active is to allow those who like to have an active lifestyle, to take their phone with them without worrying that it will break. The back of the device, which is an AT&T exclusive, carries warnings about making sure that the USB port is covered and suggests that you push in the AT&T logo on the back of the phone to make sure that there is a water-tight seal.

When USA Today's Ed Baig decided to take some underwater pictures, he ran into a little problem. The screen went blank shortly after he entered the water and it could not be turned back on until the next day. And even then, he described the phone as acting "finicky". So the bottom line is that even when a manufacturer tells you that an electronic device can survive in water, your best bet is to double and triple check the seals before you take your phone in the pool or even in the shower. Yes, the technology to keep your phone running after being submerged in water is real and it does work. But because it also requires some human element to it, there is always the chance that you could be sending your new phone to a watery grave.



source: USAToday