Key Facts: IP68 & Waterproof Ratings
This page is IP68 Decoded's maintained fact reference — the standards and specification facts our guides are built on, restated in plain prose. We report manufacturer-declared and standards-body facts, never injury or safety claims.
IP68 is not one number
Under IEC 60529, the second digit's "8" only requires protection against continuous immersion deeper than 1 meter — the standard sets no fixed depth or duration. The manufacturer declares and tests its own figure by agreement with the testing body. Apple states the iPhone 15 is tested to 6 meters for 30 minutes; Samsung states the Galaxy S24 is tested to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes. Both are legitimately "IP68." Full per-product comparison in the IP Rating Reality Index, full digit definitions in the IP Code Decoder.
What IPX4 (and any IPX rating) means
The X marks a digit that was not tested or claimed. IPX4 claims only the liquids digit at level 4 (splashing from any direction) and makes no claim about dust/solids protection at all. IPX4 has no depth or duration figure because it only tests splashing, not immersion — devices rated IPX4 are not swim-proof. See What Does IPX4 Mean?
Salt water and pool water are usually not covered
The standard IP68 immersion test uses still fresh water. Salt water and chlorinated pool water are both more corrosive to seals and internal components, and most manufacturers explicitly exclude them from the rated conditions — even though the same devices are marketed for beach and pool use. See Does IP68 Cover Salt Water?
Liquid damage is usually not covered under warranty
Even on genuinely IP68-rated devices, Apple and Samsung both explicitly exclude liquid damage from their standard limited warranties, because water/dust resistance is stated as a non-permanent condition that degrades with use. A rating describes what a new device withstood in a lab, not a durability promise the warranty backs. See Is Water Damage Covered by Warranty?
Not every "waterproof" wearable carries an IP code
Many smartwatches and fitness trackers use ISO 22810's ATM (atmosphere) or meter-depth rating instead of an IEC 60529 IP code — Garmin's "10 ATM" and Fitbit's "50 m" claims are not IP-coded at all, and the two rating systems are not directly interchangeable with IP68's immersion test. Some devices, like the Apple Watch, combine an IP6X dust rating with a separate ISO 22810 water rating rather than a single unified IP figure.
Ratings degrade — they are not a permanent promise
An IP rating is measured on a new, factory-sealed device under controlled lab conditions. Age, drops, repeated charging-port use, temperature cycling, and worn gaskets all reduce real-world water resistance over time, even though the original lab rating never changes on the spec sheet. See Does an IP68 Rating Degrade Over Time?
How these facts are maintained
These facts are drawn from manufacturer support pages and spec sheets, and public summaries of the IEC 60529 and ISO 22810 standards, reviewed against our guides and updated on the date shown above when a manufacturer changes a spec or a standard is revised. We do not test devices ourselves, we never publish exact prices, and we report only what is verified or explicitly declared — never a safety or injury outcome. Full methodology at How We Evaluate.