14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung released its Galaxy S7 Active last month and stressed that it was the most rugged smartphone to date, especially since it comes with IP68 certification aside from other features. However, Consumer Reports claims that, during testing, the Galaxy S7 Active was submerged into the water only to become non-functional when it was brought back up.
Consumer Reports organization tests and reviews smartphones in order to place them in an index of recommended devices. This time, Consumer Reports took the Galaxy S7 Active for a spin and revealed that, although the handset performed well in almost all tests, it failed the water resistance one.
Had it succeeded, the smartphone would have been placed at the top of the list of recommended smartphones, right next to the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. Since it failed, the non-profit organization stated that it couldn't recommend the handset. Samsung’s Galaxy S7 and S7 edge also have IP68 certification, and it seems that they passed the test.
Consumer Reports tested the Galaxy S7 Active from AT&T, the only carrier to sell the unit in the US. The smartphone comes with IP68 certification that covers both dust- and water-resistance, and the device was designed to survive immersion in five feet of water for 30 minutes.
Two Galaxy S7 Active failed the water immersion test
Consumer Reports technicians placed the device in a water tank pressurized to 2.12 pounds per square-inch, which is the equivalent of just under five feet of water for 30 minutes. When the phone was removed, the screen featured green lines, and water was visible in the lens part of both the front and rear cameras. In addition, the touchscreen wasn’t responsive.
Consumer Reports submitted a second smartphone to the test, in the event that the first was just a defective sample. The second one failed as well. After a few days, the smartphones’ displays were unusable, and the devices never regained full functionality.
Samsung stated that it received “very few complaints” on the matter and that in all cases the devices were covered under warranty.
There’s the possibility that a certain batch of Galaxy S7 Active units could have some defects, considering that the S7 and S7 edge have the same certification but passed the test.