As you know, Apple launched its new iPhone models - the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max in Autumn last year. No matter if you already bought your new iPhone 12 or if you are still considering buying it, one of the most common questions is if the iPhone 12 is waterproof or not. After all, the company didn't make this issue very explicit. So, in case you are questioning "is my iPhone 12 Pro waterproof", just keep reading to find out.

Water-Resistant Vs. Waterproof

Before we can answer the question is iPhone 12 waterproof, we believe that it is important that you understand the difference between water-resistant and waterproof.

Simply put, water-resistance denotes the lower level of water protection out of the two terms. So, when a device is labeled “water-resistant”, it means it can repel water, and resist the penetration of water to a certain degree, but not entirely. In most cases, a water-resistant device comes with a coating of thin-film nanotechnology, which makes it hydrophobic. The coating could be on the inside, outside, or both.

But, the term ‘waterproof’ means that the device is impermeable. The closest thing currently available to measure waterproofing on a device is the Ingress Protection (IP) rating.

Understanding The IP68 Rating Of The iPhone 12

In case you don't know, the iPhone 12 features the IP68 rating. But what does this mean exactly? The iPhone 12 is waterproof or not?

Simply put, devices backed by an international standard rating of IP68 are deemed fit enough to withstand dust, dirt and sand. Plus, these can even be submerged in to water up to a greatest depth of six meters for up to 30 minutes.

So that you know, IP is the Ingress Protection scale. Basically, it means how good is a device rated at stopping stuff from getting inside. The ‘6’ is the particulate rating while ‘8’ is the liquid rating. This means it is dustproof and that solid particles like sand can’t enter the phone even in a vacuum. Further, the particulate rating only goes up to 6, while the liquid rating can go up to ‘9’.

In the case of the iPhone 12 models, it goes up to IP68, which means that it is dustproof, and it can survive 6 meters of water depth up to half an hour. 

How Long Is The iPhone 12 Waterproof?

As we just mentioned above, all models of the iPhone 12 have an IP68 rating. So, this means that the iPhone can be submerged in water to a most depth of 6 meters up to 30 minutes.

Is The iPhone 12 Waterproof - Conclusion

The simple answer to this question is Yes, it is. While the company didn't make it very explicit, the reality is that you just need to check the phone features to see its IP rating. The iPhone 12 models are rated IP68 (largest depth of 6 meters up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529.

So, this means that you don't need to worry if you take your iPhone 12 to the swimming pool with you or to the beach. The sand won’t gent into it, thanks to the ‘6’ particulate rating, and it can survive water up to 6 meters for 30 minutes, courtesy ‘8’ liquid rating. You must, yet, be aware, to not exceed the 30 minutes mark or the 6 meters depth.