The Samsung Galaxy S7 Active, which is exclusive to AT&T, is designed to be a more durable version of the popular Galaxy S7. Two of the key features that it offers are a strong resistance to impact and an IP68 waterproofing certification. In drop tests, it has stood up very well, however in dunk tests, it has not lived up to expectations. IP68 certification means that it should be able to withstand being submerged in five feet of water for up to thirty minutes, but tests of two separate devices showed that it did not live up to its claims.
Samsung has, however, reportedly identified and fixed the issue that was causing some Galaxy S7 Active devices to incur water damage under conditions that did not exceed the standards of the IP68 rating. CNET reports that Samsung emailed them regarding the matter, in response to four waterproofing tests they conducted, saying “We discovered an isolated issue to a production line that exclusively manufacturers the Galaxy S7 Active. The issue has been resolved. We have received very few customer inquiries and any owner with water damage will receive a replacement under our standard limited warranty.” The device carries a one-year manufacturer’s warranty, which does include water damage provided that the user follows guidelines outlined in the warranty; if the phone drops and takes impact damage, for example, it may affect the waterproofing and whether the warranty still covers water damage. While some of the devices tested for waterproofing did not stand up to the tests, this is reportedly not an issue that affected all Galaxy S7 Active devices, so if you have one there’s no need to worry just yet. But if you have been affected by the flaw, you should be able to file a claim with Samsung to have the issue fixed.
Although the Galaxy S7 Active failed the dunk test, interestingly enough the standard Galaxy S7 passed the same test with flying colors. The Galaxy S7 Active is still superior in terms of surviving drops, though. And now that this flaw has been addressed, it should be able to live up to the name ‘Active’ quite well.