With the new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, Apple has done something they’ve never done before, which is to make their products water-resistant. We know it’s not necessarily a deal-breaker if phones aren’t water-resistant, but it’s always nice to have that peace of mind knowing that if it takes a dip in the toilet bowl, you won’t be out $600-700.
That being said, professional surfer Kai Lenny and SquareTrade has decided to put the new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus to the test by taking it with him while surfing. He also took the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, both of which basically did not survive the test, but if anything it serves as a good comparison between the previous generation and current generation models.
As expected both the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus handled the water just fine with 30 minutes of surfing. However while both phones were functional, the iPhone 7 Plus seemed to encounter some audio problems after the test was completed. Given that Apple does not cover water damage under its warranty, that’s too bad.
Interestingly enough there was a previous water survivability test conducted a few days ago in which the iPhone 7 actually survived longer than we expected, so we’re not sure what’s the difference here, especially since the phones weren’t submerged in this case.