See how Apple tests the iPhone for water resistance and durability
Have you ever wondered how Apple tests the water resistance of the iPhone? Well-known YouTube star Marques Brownlee recently paid a visit to the facility where Apple performs tests to make sure that the phone is living up to its IP ratings. The current iPhone 15 models have an IP68 score. The first number (6) means that the phones are impervious to dust and the second number (8) means that the device can be submerged in fresh water to a depth of up to 6 meters (approximately 19 feet 8 inches) for up to 30 minutes.
#2: There's an entire room of machines for water and ingress testing
— Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) May 29, 2024
Level 1: A drip tray simulating rain, no real pressure. IPX4
Level 2: A sustained, low-pressure jet spray from any angle. IPX5
Level 3: High pressure spray from a literal firehose. IPX6
Level 4: Locking the… pic.twitter.com/5R38I6QVmW
Brownlee posted a tweet that describes the series of tests Apple performs in a single room full of machines that test for water ingress. The first test puts the iPhone on a drip tray and water falls on the device simulating rain. Brownlee says that there is no pressure to the water that falls on the handset, and surviving this test would give a phone an IPX4 rating.
The next test uses a sustained low-pressure jet spray that hits the iPhone from all angles to determine if it can be given an IPX5 rating.
The next test must be something to see in person as a "literal firehose" peppers the iPhone with a high-pressure spray. Surviving this will bring the iPhone's Ingress Protection rating up to IPX6. The last test involves locking the iPhone in a container and adding pressure to see if the phone can survive being submerged for a long period of time. If this test is passed with flying colors, the iPhone earns an IPX8 rating. If the dust test is passed, the phone is given an IP68 rating.
#4 Ok this one was hard to capture on camera - it's literally shaking everything at computer-controlled frequencies. They can program in the frequency of a certain motorcycle engine or subway car to simulate how well a device will hold up to sustained exposure to that frequency… pic.twitter.com/K981NzQhhk
— Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) May 29, 2024
Brownlee also tweets a video showing the machine used by Apple to perform drop tests. The iPhone being tested can be made to fall from different angles and land on various surfaces. Ultra-bright lights and a high-speed camera are used to record the drop. And yet another test has the iPhone shake at certain frequencies to simulate a subway ride or traveling on a motorcycle.
Despite this test, an Apple support page notes, "Exposing your iPhone to high amplitude vibrations within certain frequency ranges, specifically those generated by high-power motorcycle engines, can degrade the performance of the camera system."
Brownlee also was able to share his talk with John Ternus, Head of Hardware Engineering at Apple. You can hear why Ternus why the iPhone is hard to repair. You can check out the videos by tapping on this link to view the tweets that Marques posted.
The testing is pretty amazing and is necessary to make sure that the iPhone you purchase is tough enough to survive the different conditions that they are exposed to. In case you didn't know, the first iPhone series to include an IP67 rating was the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Apple's first water-resistant phone came six years after the first water-resistant phone hit the marketplace. In case you didn't know, that honor belongs to the Motorola Defy which was released in 2010.
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