July 8, 2025, 12:56 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
IP ratings provide information about a device’s protection against environmental factors. These codes are increasingly specified for smartphones and other everyday devices. TECHBOOK explains the specifics behind designations like IP67 and IP68.
Protection against environmental influences such as water or dust is now integrated into many smartphones. An indication to specify the protection level of the product is the IP rating. Other devices, such as headphones and speakers, are also increasingly carrying such a label. But what exactly is behind the numerical code? TECHBOOK explains what a smartphone with an IP67 or IP68 rating is really protected against.
Overview
What does the “IP” in IP67 and IP68 stand for?
The designation IP stands for “Ingress Protection.” The IP rating indicates the extent to which electronic devices like smartphones are protected against the ingress of water and solid foreign objects such as dust or dirt.
The IP value consists of protection against solid objects in the first digit and protection against water in the second digit. Level 0 is indicated when there is no protection. For example, lamps often have an IP20 rating, which means they are protected against the ingress of finger-sized objects, but immediate damage is likely upon contact with water.
Smartphones or other devices where only one of the two IP ratings has been measured replace the unmeasured value with an X. So if a Bluetooth speaker has an IPX5 rating, it means it can be held under running water, but the protection against dust has not been tested in a lab.
The meaning of the digits in the IP rating
Protection against the ingress of solid foreign objects
Protection against the ingress of liquid
Also interesting: What to do if your phone falls into water
Important: The protection level only applies to fresh water. A dive in the ocean can also mean the end for devices with an IP68 rating, as saltwater attacks the seals that are supposed to protect against water ingress. The same applies to treated water, such as chlorinated water in swimming pools.
It is also confusing that water protection indicated by IPX7 or IPX8 does not include other protection levels like IPX5 or IPX6. Devices that are waterproof when fully submerged are not automatically protected against being sprayed with a water jet–but they usually are. In cases where protection against both types of water contact has been tested, devices are therefore also labeled with both designations (e.g., IPX5/IPX7).
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What does the IP rating mean for my smartphone?
The IP rating has the advantage of being an internationally recognized standard. It provides assurance about the methods used to test protection against foreign objects and water. An IP rating is more reliable than, for example, a manufacturer’s mere claim that the smartphone is “dust- and splash-proof.”
Modern smartphones usually have an IP67 or IP68 rating. This means they offer the highest level of protection against dust and will remain fully functional after being submerged in up to 1 meter of water for 30 minutes.