IP Ratings – what do they mean?IP57, IP58, IP54, we often hear these foreign phrases thrown around the smartphone world but how many of us actually know exactly what they stand for? To be precise, the IP (Ingress Protection) rating is given to a piece of electrical apparatus to indicate the degree of protection its enclosure affords it. It is recognisable by the preceding “IP”  abbreviation followed by two digits ranging from 0-6 and 0-8. A third digit is sometimes used and an X is used for one of the digits if there is only one class of protection; i.e. IPX4 which addresses moisture resistance only.

The first digit recognises the mechanical protection as detailed below:

The second digit illustrates the the level of water ingress protection the device offers, as detailed below:

When put together these ratings indicate how well the device is protected from foreign bodies and water. For example the Sony Xperia Z has an IP55 & IP57 rating, IP55 means that is has “protection from the amount of dust that would interfere with the operation of the equipment” and also “protection from water projected from a nozzle”. The IP57 rating means that it also has “protection from the amount of dust that would interfere with the operation of the equipment” and also “Protection against immersion”.

One of the ways manufacturers have been able to offer impressive IP ratings on their devices is through the use of flaps and covers over the headphone jacks and other ports. Being a Sony Xperia Z owner myself it is sometimes frustrating when having to continually open and close these covers when charging, inserting headphones and other connectivity devices into the phone itself.

Although I appreciate that the covers enable the device to support the IP ratings, it does beg the question of “can the device have theses IP ratings without any flappy ports or covers?” New technology, such as the Crystalusion Liquid Glass screen protector, offers an insight into the future of providing IP ratings without the annoyance of the flaps. The recently announced IP58 rated Sony Xperia Ultra offers a solution with an exposed headphones jack alongside the impressive IP rating, however all other ports have flappy covers.

I wonder how long it will be before we see completely waterproof devices with no fiddly and annoying flaps to be seen anywhere e.g. micro usb ports. With technologies such as the previously mentioned Crystalusion Liquid Glass, it can surely only be a matter of time until we see such devices hit the market.