Samsung Australia owes $ 9.7 million for false allegations of water resistance

Federal Court Australia obliged Samsung pay A $ 14 million for a deceptive marketing campaign, which was noticed by PhoneArena. The advertisement in question suggested that some of the company's waterproof smartphones could be used in swimming pools and on beaches. bringing your own website Samsung do not advise. 

The ads were published from March 2016 to October 2018 with images of the series' smartphones Galaxy A,, S7 and S8. All of them have IP68 water protection, which means that you can completely immerse them in water for a long time - in this case up to 30 minutes to a depth of 1.5 meters. But this protection applies only to fresh water - salt and chlorinated water in the pool is another matter. 

In 2019, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission instructed Samsung Australia to respond to these claims, and the Federal Court ordered Samsung to pay. Head ACCC Gina Cass Gottlieb says the organization has considered hundreds of complaints from owners Galaxy, who claim that their phones have failed or stopped working after exposure to water. The weak point seems to be the charging port: if the phone is used in sea or chlorinated water and then charged before the port is completely dry, corrosion can occur. 

All this is a good reminder that even a high water resistance rating such as IP68 has certain limitations. It is best to be careful before believing what you see on TV and not swimming with your smartphone. 

Source: The Verge