[ICON] Is it water resistant?

[Chris Phelps]

I am going to an amusement park with the family tomorrow, and they have some water rides. I haven't had my icon very long, so I did a search to find out if if would survive being in my pocket all day. The only things I have been able to turn up are stories of people accidentally spilling stuff on their phone and frantically drying/ packing in bags of rice. At this point in thinking about just tossing my sim back in my Moto x for the day. I really wanted my icon with me for the picture quality, but if its really that critical to keep it dry, I wont risk it.

Is it really that fragile? Or are people just being far too panicky over little things? Seems like in an era where nearly every phone is water resistant, Nokia would be leading the way.

 

[bo_woods]

The Nokia Lumia Icon isn't advertised anywhere at all even the slightest bit as water resistant so how much liquid it can handle can really only be answered by people who have spilled water on the device... The ICON is a great device and it would be sad to lose it over something so preventable.

I would just keep it at a table or something, but in my pocket? No... What if it falls out during a ride or in a pool, and it might not handle being splashed very well\

Aquapac Handheld Case - Smartphone Waterproof Cases - Mobile Nations Mobile Accessories
OverBoard Waterproof Case - Smartphone Waterproof Cases - Mobile Nations Mobile Accessories
http://www.amazon.com/DryPak-Waterp...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUwpUvbUpU3128637

Here are some waterproof cases that are compatible with the device

 

[bo_woods]

But then there is this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWpQwkuRqbQ

 

[gordonfink]

It is very tight behind the back cover. My guess is that water inside would be in there for awhile. Rice is useless and won't bail you out.

If it gets wet, it may not even show up right away. But, with water trapped in there for any period of time, corrosion will occur, then your phone will go flaky.

It just doesn't seem like a very good risk, unless you have a couple hundred bucks in your pocket for a replacement.

Last - there are several entry points for water to intrude. I guess if you splashed a little on the screen, you could wipe it off. If it enters the charge port or headphone jack, you could do some damage.

 

[xandros9]

it is not water resistant in any way. however water damage is a very weird, inexact science, much like falls.

I've heard of a 635 that took a dive and lived to tell the tale, another that wasn't as lucky. I would not risk it though. (long term effects not seen)

If it were me, I'd get a plastic bag or two to keep things dry. But then again pulling out the Moto might be the way to go.

 

[gordonfink]

But then there is this

[]

You might notice he covers the headphone jacks on those tests, and water is not coming up from the bottom to the charge ports.

The backs on the 930 and the HTC are very tight, so I am not real surprised. Do that on an 930 and see what happens.

Anyways, I don't think cover all the holes with your fingers and getting water dumped over them is akin to splashing in a water park ride with your phone in your pocket.

 

[bo_woods]

I wish the 830's back looked as tight as the 930 & 925... I just really don't like removable backs... It just deters from the premium-ness that a device has... I just really feel like removable backs, particularly ones that are easily identifiable, have become a distinct trait of a budget device

 

[anon(7901790)]

No the Icon is not water proof and is only water resistant to the extent of using it in a light sprinkle... I've never tested in anything more than a light sprinkle at least. :excited:

I got the Dry Case and I have used it at the beach and pool with no water problems. The biggest downside I found was that the screen is sensitive enough to register water pressure as phantom touch which makes using the touch screen a little erratic to use in the water.

https://www.drycase.com/mm5/merchan...&Product_Code=CB-50&Attributes=Yes&Quantity=1

I suggest getting a GoPro or a waterproof point and shoot like the Nikon AW120 or Fujifilm XP70 though. You'll be much more satisfied with the results.

 

[Chris Phelps]

What a shame. Oh well... out comes the phone that can handle immersion for 45 minutes. :/

I thought I was going to make a clean break from Android, too.


Thanks guys.

 

[travis_valkyrie]

Well if water doesn't penetrate through it then it is water resistant. It's not like it's made of tissue or anything.

 

[gordonfink]

What a shame. Oh well... out comes the phone that can handle immersion for 45 minutes. :/

I thought I was going to make a clean break from Android, too.


Thanks guys.

Is that for real - a Moto X can do that?

 

[bo_woods]

I'll just leave these here
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PQ8H1EtnqI0
http://forums.androidcentral.com/moto-x-2014/443107-so-new-moto-x-water-resistant.html

 

[Chris Phelps]

Is that for real - a Moto X can do that?

Yup. Bo beat me to one of several articles. The Moto x is a very hardy phone. It's my primary phone for hiking because I don't have to worry if I get caught in the rain or drop it in a brook.

Given the reputation Nokia has always had for making solid phones, I'm extremely surprised by the fact that they seem to have fallen behind the times in this category.

I have no need for a waterproof phone, but no one should have to worry so much about a little rain or some water spilling on their pants.

The worst part about having to dig my Moto x out, though, is the battery life. I have 3 of them, and none will last longer than 13 hours if you aren't using it. 7 hours under normal usage is an accomplishment. That's compared to my Lumia that will go 16 hours and still be at 60%. Well... The icon anyway. My 928 will go 16 hours and be at 75%.

Oh well... Horrible battery life and bad camera quality aside, I still love my Moto x, so its no biggie if I have to dig it out here and there to use. (I also use it for my morning alarm... The volume on the icon is appalling. At 40% volume, the Moto x is louder than the icon at 100%)

 

[gordonfink]

Thanks much.

My daughter's boyfriend just had his LG G3 stolen, and is now using a broken iPhone 4. I was looking into something to buy him to replace his G3, but I can't pay as much as a G3 costs.

I have been intrigued by the Moto X, but I don't know much about them. Maybe that's one to get.

Thanks again.

Yup. Bo beat me to one of several articles. The Moto x is a very hardy phone. It's my primary phone for hiking because I don't have to worry if I get caught in the rain or drop it in a brook.

Given the reputation Nokia has always had for making solid phones, I'm extremely surprised by the fact that they seem to have fallen behind the times in this category.

I have no need for a waterproof phone, but no one should have to worry so much about a little rain or some water spilling on their pants.

The worst part about having to dig my Moto x out, though, is the battery life. I have 3 of them, and none will last longer than 13 hours if you aren't using it. 7 hours under normal usage is an accomplishment. That's compared to my Lumia that will go 16 hours and still be at 60%. Well... The icon anyway. My 928 will go 16 hours and be at 75%.

Oh well... Horrible battery life and bad camera quality aside, I still love my Moto x, so its no biggie if I have to dig it out here and there to use. (I also use it for my morning alarm... The volume on the icon is appalling. At 40% volume, the Moto x is louder than the icon at 100%)

 

[Chris Phelps]

Thanks much.

My daughter's boyfriend just had his LG G3 stolen, and is now using a broken iPhone 4. I was looking into something to buy him to replace his G3, but I can't pay as much as a G3 costs.

I have been intrigued by the Moto X, but I don't know much about them. Maybe that's one to get.

Thanks again.

The Moto X is definitely a nice phone. On paper, it looks like it is very sub-par... it has a 1.7ghz dual core CPU. But it is a modified CPU that Moto calls the "X8" chip. It is essentially a quad core in which 2 of the cores have been set at low power and are used only for voice recognition. It's like "Hey Cortana" only way way WAY faster.

The list of features with that phone are endless.

It also feels amazing in your hand. It is considerably smaller than an Icon, but there is only 0.3" difference in screen size.







Other than the battery life (something that seems to plague all Androids, not just this one) and a mediocre battery, I have zero complaints about it. I love my lumia, but I can't bring myself to get rid of my Moto X. I've had it for almost 2 years now.

 

[gordonfink]

Thanks much - helpful to know. Funny, because I wondered about the processor in it. Honestly, I figured if it was a gift, he wouldn't be too disappointed anyways, but I wanted to get him something reasonable.

So, no the quest for a reasonably priced Moto will commence.

Thanks again.

 

[Keith Wallace]

Just to share, we went to Disney World and Universal in May. What we did was just being some slide-lock (not the pinch lock) bags, and whenever we did a ride like Splash Mountain, the phones went in the bag. Also good for wallets/loose cash, and the bag won't really take up any extra space in your pocket when you phone's not in it.

 

[Chris Phelps]

Just to share, we went to Disney World and Universal in May. What we did was just being some slide-lock (not the pinch lock) bags, and whenever we did a ride like Splash Mountain, the phones went in the bag. Also good for wallets/loose cash, and the bag won't really take up any extra space in your pocket when you phone's not in it.

That's an option, but id rather just take a phone I don't have to worry about.

 

[gordonfink]

FWIW - I had a Trident Cyclops case on my 930. It had a cutout near the camera on the front, but otherwise was relatively waterproof and shockproof. I verified the shockproof part several times, by dropping it by mistake.

Because of the cutout on the screen protector, I wouldn't want to immerse it, but I wouldn't be very afraid of going on amusement rides - it would be tough to get water in it.

Something like that is always an option as well. Honestly, with the screen replacement costs, I wouldn't use it w/o something like that anyways, even at the price of a little extra bulk.

 

[heickelrrx]

May I ask something what kind of ride that you plan to ride.

If it just a little splash and you can go without changing your shirt you'll be fine.

I live in indonesia. When it's raining I often get my phone some splash but it's Ok. It's not like you going to put it underwater right?