HP Elite X3 goes for a swim and keeps working

Nov 4, 2016 10:38 GMT  ·  By

We live in a time when the majority of smartphone manufacturers are trying to make their products water-resistant, and companies such as Samsung and Apple are leading the trend in this regard.

Fortunately, the world of Windows Phone is not that far behind despite all the criticism that happened lately against the platform, and it’s all thanks to HP and its super flagship Elite X3.

The X3 comes with an IP67 rating, which is the exact same score that the iPhone 7 received earlier this year when it launched, so it boasts almost the maximum protection against water and dust (IP68 is currently the highest rating in the smartphone business, while IP69 is the best tech can achieve with protection against close-range high-pressure, high-temperature spray downs, thanks for the tip DrewNaylor).

The IP67 rating means that the device can be submerged in water up to 1 meter deep for a maximum of 30 minutes without suffering any technical damage, and it turns out that the Elite X3 doesn’t disappoint.

It passed the test… kind of

A test made by the folks over at WindowsTeca show the HP Elite X3 thrown in a bowl of water, and although that’s not exactly an extreme test for the Windows phone, it should still help us get a glimpse into how advanced water resistance on this model actually is.

In most of the cases, water resistance isn’t supposed to make it possible to swim with a phone anyway, but only provide protection in case of rain or accidental damage.

What’s interesting, however, is that the HP Elite X3 didn’t actually pass this test with flying colors, as it didn’t escape unhurt. In fact, the speakers stopped working after being submerged in water, but it all came back to normal after a few minutes when the phone’s internals dried.

For what it’s worth, the HP Elite X3 comes with Band & Olufsen stereo speakers which provide super audio quality, but judging from this test, they weren’t entirely waterproofed. HP should clearly spend a bit more time improving in this area if it plans on releasing another high-end Windows phone, and could take a look at how Apple’s Watch 2 automatically ejects water out of its speakers after a workout.