Like many of our readers, I was happy to see that Motorola were building the 2014 Nexus device. And I have to write that the Google Nexus 6 is most of everything I had hoped it would be: a 6.0-inch, QHD (that’s 2,560 by 1,440 pixel resolution) display, a powerful, 32-bit, quad core 2.7 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor, 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB or 64 GB of internal storage, a 13 MP rear camera benefiting from optical stabilization and a 3,220 mAh battery. The box-specifications are at or close to the top of the Android tree and other than the large screen size (and this has its own particular charm) the device wants for nothing, it even has Qi wireless charging. But one item that’s less often touted is that the Nexus 6 benefits from the same nano water resistant coating that many of Motorola’s recent Android devices have benefited from, including the Moto X and Moto G. Google and Motorola describe the Nexus 6 as “water resistant” with no IP rating, implying that it hasn’t been designed (or perhaps tested) against various levels of dust and water ingress. The nano coating that Motorola use is designed to make the device more life proof than many similar devices, without explicitly described as water resistance. In other words, you can pull your Nexus 6 out in the rain and use it for a call without worrying about getting a little moisture on it, but it’s not designed to go swimming with or be immersed in water.
Perhaps I’m alone in this, but when it’s raining, I don’t use my handset unless I’m under shelter. And seeing as I’m not umbrella qualified, that means seeking a building or vehicle to check the device. The thought of using a new Nexus 6 in a rain storm fills me with horror so I cannot begin to imagine why somebody would test their device by immersing it into water, but that’s exactly what’s been done in this YouTube clip below:
As you can see, not only is the device immersed into water, but it’s also immersed and placed onto a Qi charger, where it is receiving a charge. Sure, there’s no reason why the Qi charger wouldn’t work underwater and I suppose that curious look on my face means that I won’t get why somebody would try to do this… it’s impressive that the device not only worked great immediately after a dunking, but was working several days afterwards. We will have to wait to see how well the device works after a couple of weeks. This written, please do not try this at home if you value several hundred dollars worth of brand new Nexus hardware. Maybe they’re all created equal, maybe some have better nano coating compared with others, but I absolutely do not recommend immersing your device in a bathtub.
Having watching the Nexus 6 being immersed into water, this would give me a little bit more confidence in using the device in the rain, but I would be very wary of doing this. In my experience, you’re more likely to have a clumsy stranger barge past you and knock your smartphone out of your hand in the rain. Murphy’s Law says that it will land in a puddle, but if this happened to the Nexus 6 then there’s at least the chance that it would be okay afterwards. Do any of our readers have horror stories where they were using their device in the rain, perhaps hurrying between points, and they were knocked, sending their device spinning out of their hand or pocket into the nearest deep puddle? Do you now own a water resistant device and cannot go back? Let us know in the comments below.