Is your phone truly waterproof? Here's what the IP rating tells you

Just how water-resistant is that box filled with electricity? Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET I remember a time when you wouldn't dare let water anywhere near a smartphone or power bank, as it would almost certainly mean disaster. Today, however, most smartphones are designed to be water- and dust-resistant to some extent, and even gadgets like power banks and portable power stations are following suit. Also: The best portable power stations you can buy But how can you determine exactly how water- and dust-resistant a device is? And what's the difference between something being water-resistant and truly waterproof? IP ratings explained This is where IP ratings come into play. IP, short for Ingress Protection, is an international standard used to measure a device's resistance to water, dust, and other foreign objects. It's expressed in the form of IPXX, where each "X" represents a numeral. The first digit indicates protection against solid particles, like dust, while the second digit ... Read full article.