Are Apple’s iPhone 6s’ Really Water Resistant?

Has Apple forgotten to tell us something?

Apple recently launched two new phones, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, that bear a striking resemblance to their predecessors, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus respectively. So much so, that it’s nigh impossible to tell them apart (except for the new metallic-pink Rose Gold variant).

The inclusion of several internal, hence discrete enhancements however, make them exceptional — the next generation multi-touch called 3D Touch (which senses how deeply you press on the display screen), the A9 processor — the most advanced chip in a smartphone, a faster fingerprint scanner (TouchID 2), improved rear and front cameras and the live photo functionality. All of the above collectively bring new dimensions of functionality to the iPhone experience and enhance their inclusion into our lives. And they’re at the same ultra-premium prices as ever.

Predictably, the world got wound up as time rolled over to launch date. Queues and euphoria ensued, yet again.

However before the confetti even landed, suggestions were made that the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus were indeed waterproof. Strangely, hyperbole-enthusiastic Apple has been mum about this major feature.

There are videos on YouTube showcasing the hydrophilic ability of both phones with brand new iPhone 6s’ immersed in bowls of water for almost an hour, with no consequential damage.

Going back in time to March 2014, Apple had filed a patent describing a hydrophobic coating with a thickness between 1 and 10 microns, which would be thin enough to prevent interference caused by water touching functional parts in an electronic device (especially the circuit boards and integrated circuits).

A recent examination of the device by teardown specialist at iFixit has revealed that the cables and connectors on the logic board have the same hydrophilic (silicon seal) coating. Additionally, they state Apple has reworked the internal frame of the phones to be 0.3 mm wider than the erstwhile 6-series models, to accommodate a glue band around the perimeter of display which acts as a gasket (cap) to restrict entry of water into the phone.

That said, the speaker, headphone jack, charging port, the SIM card tray haven’t received any kind of special waterproofing, and are still susceptible to water.

So… declaring iPhone 6s or 6s Plus completely water resistant would be somewhat untrue. No one’s been able to explain how the phones continued to work despite long-term immersion with these ports being unguarded/untreated.

Conjecturing, iPhones may be water resistant only around the screen, so minor drops of liquids do not find their way in, however since the Apple team is not promoting this addition to design Chip-Monks strongly, strongly recommends that you still treat your costly devices with utmost care and mimic the standard habit of a treating your iPhones as extremely hydrophobic (note please, it means not capable of mixing well with water!!).

Originally published at Chip-Monks.