Australian consumer association sues Samsung over water resistance of phones

The Australian consumer organization ACCC has sued Samsung, because it believes that Samsung is misleading consumers with advertisements for its Galaxy smartphones. The ads show people using their phone in a swimming pool or in the sea.

Those ads are misleading, because Samsung has not tested whether the smartphones can withstand pool or sea water, ACCC claims. In addition, the manufacturer advises in a footnote users of its smartphones not to use the devices around a swimming pool or on a beach. In addition, it does not guarantee watertightness.

Samsung advertises water resistance because some of its midrange phones and all high-end devices since 2016 have been IP certified. The indictment concerns all Galaxy S models since the S7, Note models since the Note 8 and several Galaxy A phones, including the Galaxy A5 2017.

The ipx8 certification indicates that the phone can be submerged under water for half an hour without damage. That certification says nothing about a splash in a pool or the sea, nor does it mention how well the phone is protected against water that comes under pressure against the case.

One of the advertisements shows, among other things, someone using a device while sitting underwater, another ad talks about ‘recording your surfing session at sea’. Samsung makes its devices waterproof by using glue between the front, edge and back and by covering points where water can penetrate, such as the SIM slot and the USB port with a rubber edge. There is no warranty. Samsung has not yet responded to the complaint.

Two years ago, Sony gave money back to customers of Xperia smartphones with water damage as part of a settlement in a US class action case. Sony has advertised the operation of some smartphones underwater in the past, but in 2015 advised not to use ‘waterproof’ Xperia devices underwater, even if it was allowed to do so according to the ip68 certificate.