USA Today have an article (here) where the reviewer was testing the S4 Active. Right after he dunk the phone underwater, the phone have WATER DAMAGE:
Shortly after I took the phone for a dip (in not very deep water), the display went kaput — at least for several hours. It lit up just long enough to indicate that I had power, but I couldn't actually keep the display on and use it.
Roughly a day later, the screen came alive again, but the phone was still exhibiting finicky behavior, presumably because of water damage. The touch-screen was messed up and the device acted as if headphones were plugged in when they weren't. If this were my actual phone, I'd return to the store for a replacement.
I just got the S4 Active and thought I am not planning to take the phone for a long underwater activities, I am concerned that I am getting a phone that have a very weak water resistant feature.
Not sure if this is because the reviewer didn't "properly" close the battery cover / USB port, but I have seen S4 Active review and Samsung Event videos where the phone was submerged in water for a long time and it still works.
PS: Have ANYONE tried to dunk their phone in the water for testing?
My phone has been in a pool, lake, bathtub, rainy weather, all since I got it. I trust it.
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I'd like to think that reviewer just got stuck with a bad unit.
But this begs the question: Is water damage covered under warranty? Either by AT&T or Samsung? Surely they should back up their "vacation-proof" phone..
aceownstheworld said:
My phone has been in a pool, lake, bathtub, rainy weather, all since I got it. I trust it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk 2
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My first one went into the pool just fine. The unit I have now I am scared to expose it. On the top between the glass and bezel there is a small gap... above the in call speaker.... I'm afraid that water will pour in through that... Can you look at yours and see if yours is like that?
He probably didn't press down the back cover correctly.
Sent From My Galaxy S4 Active using a Tapatalk 4
joshuadjohnson22 said:
My first one went into the pool just fine. The unit I have now I am scared to expose it. On the top between the glass and bezel there is a small gap... above the in call speaker.... I'm afraid that water will pour in through that... Can you look at yours and see if yours is like that?
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You mean between the earpiece and the bezel at the front? I don't see any gaps, at least not with my naked eyes.
On the back, bottom part near the speaker, I don't see it either. Trying to press to see if there is a gap, so far none.
What makes you "scared" on the phone that you have now?
robstunner said:
He probably didn't press down the back cover correctly.
Sent From My Galaxy S4 Active using a Tapatalk 4
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There is a sticker on the back cover that provide a warning for the user to PRESS DOWN on the middle of the cover, underneath the LED.
I always do that, but I never hear a "click" or any indication that the back cover is now PROPERLY covering the phone to prevent water leakage.
Well, I DO hear the click when pressing on all sides, but that's normal like my Galaxy Note.
lanwarrior said:
You mean between the earpiece and the bezel at the front? I don't see any gaps, at least not with my naked eyes.
On the back, bottom part near the speaker, I don't see it either. Trying to press to see if there is a gap, so far none.
What makes you "scared" on the phone that you have now?
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Yeah on the front top. I just think water will easily get in the phone...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
I've used this phone below the 1 meter mark and the only bad side effect I get is the microphone not working well for a bit afterwords, which happens really at any level of exposure. This phone is pretty safe in water if you use it correctly.
mattpayne92 said:
...the only bad side effect I get is the microphone not working well for a bit afterwords...
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That is pretty bad. I mean, I am not going snorkeling and take a phone call while floating on the shore, but if somebody calls me and I CANNOT talk to them because the microphone does not work, that is a big problem.
I am actually wondering how does the phone protects the microphone, earphone and speaker? There are holes there and water can go in. I was considering the Xperia Z and so far the only problem with water issue is the microphone jack - the phone will think that the jack have a headphone but it's only water. However, that is easily fixable by drying it out. I.e. use tissue or something that goes inside the jack.
Microphone though, the holes are to tiny to "dry" with a tissue or something.
BTW, is the microphone STOPS working completely or it works again after a FEW DAYS?
Maybe I can ask those who read this thread to tell me if:
A). You HAVE tested your phone under water (splashing it, dunking it in a bowl of water)
B). What ISSUE you have after you did the above? Phone dead, microphone stops working, etc.
I am trying to get a sense if this is just a specific batch issue (I can replace the phone) or design issue (no matter what, the issue still exists).
If it really was then it would have lifetime warranty. The fact that it only has 1 year warranty like most of the phones tells me that after year 1 be ready to say bye bye to your baby
Sent from my SGH-I337
lanwarrior said:
Maybe I can ask those who read this thread to tell me if:
A). You HAVE tested your phone under water (splashing it, dunking it in a bowl of water)
B). What ISSUE you have after you did the above? Phone dead, microphone stops working, etc.
I am trying to get a sense if this is just a specific batch issue (I can replace the phone) or design issue (no matter what, the issue still exists).
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Decided to take mine in the shower to test after it got here.
I let the showerhead spray onto the phone, both front and back. Nothing wrong.
Like other people reported, the speaker volume gets significantly lower when wet and goes back to normal within a half hour. Also if the headphone port gets water in it it will errenously display that "headphones are connected" which blowing into the port will fix.
thatbigmoose said:
Decided to take mine in the shower to test after it got here.
I let the showerhead spray onto the phone, both front and back. Nothing wrong.
Like other people reported, the speaker volume gets significantly lower when wet and goes back to normal within a half hour. Also if the headphone port gets water in it it will errenously display that "headphones are connected" which blowing into the port will fix.
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This is useful! BTW, you haven't test submerging the phone, have you?
maldinimi said:
If it really was then it would have lifetime warranty. The fact that it only has 1 year warranty like most of the phones tells me that after year 1 be ready to say bye bye to your baby
Sent from my SGH-I337
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No it won't, because all things mechanical / electronics break downs eventually - nothing last forever. Even mil-spec stuff does not have a "lifetime" warranty.
lanwarrior said:
This is useful! BTW, you haven't test submerging the phone, have you?
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I haven't submersed it yet but there's videos on YouTube with submersion and it brings about the same issues I discussed.
Higher water pressure will clog the mic membrane and make you sound distant in phone calls.
Maybe I'll build up the courage to dunk it tomorrow.
I did the dunk test the night after I got it by fully submerging it in a cup of water...worked just fine afterwards...although I was showing a friend that didn't believe that I had a "water proof/resistant" phone by putting it in the sink and letting water run over it and had an issue with the phone thinking the headphones were plugged in.only did it for about an hour...weird thing was that it didn't start doing it until about 2 hours after it had been wet. Although once it fully dried I haven't had any issues at all with it. Hope this helps.
Sent from my GT-N5110 using XDA Premium HD app
lanwarrior said:
That is pretty bad. I mean, I am not going snorkeling and take a phone call while floating on the shore, but if somebody calls me and I CANNOT talk to them because the microphone does not work, that is a big problem.
I am actually wondering how does the phone protects the microphone, earphone and speaker? There are holes there and water can go in. I was considering the Xperia Z and so far the only problem with water issue is the microphone jack - the phone will think that the jack have a headphone but it's only water. However, that is easily fixable by drying it out. I.e. use tissue or something that goes inside the jack.
Microphone though, the holes are to tiny to "dry" with a tissue or something.
BTW, is the microphone STOPS working completely or it works again after a FEW DAYS?
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Maybe leave the phone in the sun for a few minutes to dry? Blow on it? Several things help get the water out. But honestly, how often are you going to go swimming with a phone and then take a call immediately afterwards? I'd be thrilled that my phone didn't fry after it fell in the pool, I could care less that the microphone doesn't work for an hour - that's what bluetooth headsets are for.
Anyways, I've had my phone submerged in a sink with running water twice now, the only issues I've found is that after removing the back cover there is water on the outside of the rubber gasket, which looks normal, but I would recommend taking the back off to dry it out after exposed to water.
When i took mine into the pool I made a phone call right after and they said I sounded funny so i blew in the mic and it cleared the water out and they could hear me fine....
geoff5093 said:
But honestly, how often are you going to go swimming with a phone and then take a call immediately afterwards?
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Not very often, but when I DO need to take that call, it will be a big problem. This is a phone after all.
I don't think I will purposely take the phone for a swim, but the reason I bought the Active instead of the S4 is because of the water/sand protection and want to confirm it works. If it doesn't, then I'll exchange the phone to a normal S4 because it's thinner.
However, based on your response and others, it seems it does offer those protection to a certain degree and the ONLY issue is that the mic may get covered with water and cause the caller not being able to hear me, but this is easily fixed QUICKLY.
After being under water (not for long, a few second) the loud speaker become very small?
Sent from my z1 using xda premium
I believe that's normal, the speaker grill will be filled/covered with water. Let it dry for a bit and it should go back to normal.
i know
first time it take a reboot... but now it has been an hr and still very small >"<
Just blow lightly on the speaker grill and it will be back to normal
Sent from my C6903 using Tapatalk
goku16 said:
i know
first time it take a reboot... but now it has been an hr and still very small >"<
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Hahahaha, mate, how is a reboot going to dry out the speaker grille? >.<
Shake the phone a little with the grille pointing down, maybe try to suck the water out? I don't know, but one thing is for certain, reboots are not going to help you here hehehe!
right,i recently put my phone under a cold water tap to give it a clean and the loud speaker stopped working..it made a cackly noise and now the music is just about audible if i put my ear right up to the speaker port. I ordered a new loud speaker from ebay and its doing the same thing.its been about a week now since i rinsed it under the tap any ideas anyone id be so gratefull.thanks in advance
djleejay said:
right,i recently put my phone under a cold water tap to give it a clean and the loud speaker stopped working..it made a cackly noise and now the music is just about audible if i put my ear right up to the speaker port. I ordered a new loud speaker from ebay and its doing the same thing.its been about a week now since i rinsed it under the tap any ideas anyone id be so gratefull.thanks in advance
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Sorry freind. The water damaged the phone. I really get sad when i hear someone get water damage
androidfreak70 said:
Sorry freind. The water damaged the phone. I really get sad when i hear someone get water damage
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ahh its gone now anyway..sold it to cex for 60 pounds lol..thanks for your help mate the water proof is aload of crap..more like splash proof..the only genuine waterproof phone ive had was the moto defy
djleejay said:
ahh its gone now anyway..sold it to cex for 60 pounds lol..thanks for your help mate the water proof is aload of crap..more like splash proof..the only genuine waterproof phone ive had was the moto defy
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It is normal that speaker's sound will be reduced after submerging or if water gets in the speaker... After 2/3 hours, it gets fixed automatically... Z is fully waterproof... I've tested it a lot of times...
Sent from my Xperia Z.....
Hi guys,
I've never tested out if my phone was waterproof but a few days ago I dropped my phone into a boiling pot of lamb broth accidentally.
It took me about half a minute to recover it after burning myself. Washed the phone with hot water and soap and stuck it in a bag of rice.
Everything works perfectly, except the speaker. The sound is muffled so I am assuming this may be because the fat in the broth has penetrated the "grill" at the bottom of the phone and clogged it up. I have given the device a couple more baths in very very hot water and grease-busting washing up liquid and the sound has cleared somewhat.
Any advice on what I can do to sort this out? Do I need to replace the speaker? etc etc
Thanks in advance.
are you have try clean grill of bottom speaker with electronic cleaner? **but beware, its will remove speaker grill adhesive
For first try clean grill with toothbrush and washing up liquid.
Leave it all to dry out proper
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I recently bought phone. Since there is no screen protector for note 9 in my around, i temporary plug a protector for note 8 with nano luqiud with glue and uv light. Problem is does note 9 speakers give both same amount of db and my phone's upper speaker went a little less powerful since liquid leaked into speaker. Or It is normal to upper speaker have a little bit less sound? Sorry for my grammer.
If you spilled the glue into the speaker it will probably sound lower than normal. I don't notice a difference in loudness between the top and bottom speaker.
The upper speaker pushes less db than the main firing speaker. The waterproofing fabric for the speaker is deeper inside than the Note 8. If you look in with a light, you can see a gap between the actual grill and the waterproofing fabric for the speaker. If glue got in there I'm afraid the only way you can get it out is by taking the device apart.
Also, with these type of speakers and the waterproofing material being used, once liquid touches the fabric, the sound is dampened out because there is no longer free vibration of the fabric to let the sound travel, aka sound "loud."
xXECHOXx said:
I recently bought phone. Since there is no screen protector for note 9 in my around, i temporary plug a protector for note 8 with nano luqiud with glue and uv light. Problem is does note 9 speakers give both same amount of db and my phone's upper speaker went a little less powerful since liquid leaked into speaker. Or It is normal to upper speaker have a little bit less sound? Sorry for my grammer.
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Use some alcohol and a tooth brush to scrub out the glue. Then, blow it out with a can of compressed air. accidentally got some glue in my S9+ doing a rush job and the speaker wasn't as loud. This rectified the problem. You may have to scrub and spray repeatedly a few times, but I managed to get mine cleaned out.
bsims85 said:
Use some alcohol and a tooth brush to scrub out the glue. Then, blow it out with a can of compressed air. accidentally got some glue in my S9+ doing a rush job and the speaker wasn't as loud. This rectified the problem. You may have to scrub and spray repeatedly a few times, but I managed to get mine cleaned out.
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Using compressed air, make sure you don't damage the top speaker's delicate diaphragm (the extremely thin material that moves and creates the sound). If you tear or warp it, the top speaker quality will be worse, and sound distorted. It happened to my friends S9 when he had water in it from going for a swim and forcefully blew in it with his mouth to get the water out. It never recovered.
DareDevil01 said:
Using compressed air, make sure you don't damage the top speaker's delicate diaphragm (the extremely thin material that moves and creates the sound). If you tear or warp it, the top speaker quality will be worse, and sound distorted. It happened to my friends S9 when he had water in it from going for a swim and forcefully blew in it with his mouth to get the water out. It never recovered.
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why would you want to use compressed air to push the water even more in the device/part again?