Google's New Pixel Smartphones Won't Be Waterproof; Will Have An IP53 Dust, Water Resistant Rating

Google will be holding an event on Oct. 4 where the company is expected to officially unveil its new pair of smartphones, the Pixel and the Pixel XL. The upcoming handsets are expected to be sold at a premium price, but it looks like neither of them will be waterproof.

The Google Pixel and Pixel XL will be IP53 dust- and water-resistant, according to Android Police. For those unfamiliar with IP ratings, the “5” rating means that dust ingress won’t be entirely prevented, while the “3” rating means that the devices won’t be damaged when sprayed with water at any angle up to 60 degrees.

To put it simply, water won’t be able to get inside if the devices are held in an upward angle. However, if the device is on a flat surface while splashed/sprayed by water, the IPx3 rating does not guarantee that it would be protected against water getting into the device.

This may disappoint a lot of people considering that the Pixel is expected to have a starting price of $650. Apple just unveiled the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus, and both of those handsets are IP67 waterproof (withstand 1 meter of water for 30 mins.). Samsung’s latest flagships are even more impressive with an IP68 rating (withstand 1.5 meter of water for 30 mins.), as pointed out by 9To5Google.

Although the Pixel and Pixel XL are expected to come with the latest hardware like Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 821 processor, that may not mean all that much to the average consumer. If Google wants to wow users, the company better have something else up their sleeves especially now that the company is currently going all in on marketing and setting up high expectations.

Google has been busy promoting its upcoming Oct. 4 hardware event. The company even erected a statue in Brooklyn Bridge Park teasing the new Pixel smartphone, as reported first by The Verge. Huge billboards have also been popping up all over the United States, and Google even put up a huge advert in Cologne, Germany during the Photokina exhibit.