The handset was IP54 certified, which only offers protection against water splashes

Feb 26, 2014 11:11 GMT  ·  By

Archos is a well-known company that makes smartphones and tablets for the average user. Archos’ presence on the Android smartphone and tablet market is strong in Europe, but the French company plans to expand to other markets in the coming months.

Archos’ CEO Loic Poirier even confirmed that his company was looking into offering Windows Phone devices in the future, but the first smartphone powered by Microsoft’s mobile platform coming from Archos would come when the time is right.

That seems like a fair statement coming from a company official, but we can’t say the same thing about Poirier’s latest blunder that involves demoing a rugged smartphone during a press event.

Well, for those unaware, Archos owns the Quechua brand, which is very popular in France due to its cheap rugged devices. The smartphones in the Quechua family feature various IP certifications, which makes them extra durable in various outdoor scenarios.

One such device is the Quechua Phone 5, which was launched in France and a few other European countries in late 2013 for only €230 ($315) outright.

The smartphone’s specs are not that important, except for the fact that Archos had it IP54 certified. That means Quechua Phone 5 can withstand dust and water splashes.

The official explanation of IP54 mentions that every device that receives this certification should be “protected against dust (limited to ingress),” as well as “against water sprayed from all directions.”

Other IP certifications like IP56 for example offer better protection in various scenarios. Well, it looks like Archos’ CEO did not know what his own product could withstand.

Otherwise I can’t explain why Poirier would submerge the Quechua Phone 5 under 50cm of water while demoing the phone’s rugged features.

Unfortunately for him, Quechua Phone 5 is not IP67 certified, which would have offered it total protection against the effects of temporary underwater immersion up to 1m.

Apparently these “unimportant” details slipped Archos’ CEO who found out the hard way that Quechua Phone 5 would become unusable if submerged under water.

Hilariously enough, the few Archos employees assisting their CEO at the demo did not alert Poirier about the mistake he was about to do.

Not to mention that the company’s website highlights the main features of the Quechua Phone 5 and explains some of them clearly, like the IP54 rating: “the Quechua Phone 5 complies with the IP54 standard. Developed to withstand the most demanding outdoor conditions. It is designed to withstand splattering with water from all directions as well the harmful effects of dust and sand.”