T-Mobile Hosts the Clash of the Water-Resistant Smartphones

Since mobile phones have been around, water has always been their kryptonite. Friend push you in a pool? Spill a beverage? Accidents like those can put your smartphone out of commission, leaving you lost without your main mode of communication and stuck with a hefty bill to replace it. Mobile users may waste time spending countless hours Googling how to revive water-damaged phones or experimenting with the hit-or-miss rice submersion trick.

Xperia-Z1S from sonymobile.com

Just as any successful industry seeks to provide an answer to some of its customers’ most pressing problems, smartphone manufacturers have been hard at work in recent years, developing water-resistant mobile devices. The concept of a waterproof phone is hardly novel, though, as waterproof technology for cameras, has existed for decades.

In fact, the first waterproof cell phone was the Casio Canu 502S, which was released in 2005. Other models, including the Nokia 5500 Sport and the Samsung Marine B2100, sought to fill the need for water-resistant personal devices, but were often too bulky or unattractive to be desired by consumers.

With sleeker designs and more persistent demand, it seems that water-resistant technology is on pace to become the norm. And as the trend continues, we can expect to see more and more technology prepared to get wet, including headphones, portable speakers, and more. In fact, Sony has already announced the first waterproof tablet, the Z2, which they are pushing as the world’s slimmest and lightest waterproof tablet.

Mobile carriers are doing their best to stock their shelves with these hot commodities – especially ahead of summer. T-Mobile has announced that they are carrying the latest water-resistant device, the Samsung Galaxy S5, as well as the Sony Xperia Z. Both devices have been the buzz across technology blogs and review sites for several months. Here’s a breakdown of the most notable features of both the Galaxy S5 and the Sony Xperia Z.

Samsung Galaxy S5

Galaxy S5 from samsung.com/us

The Samsung Galaxy S5 from T-Mobile is IP67 certified as being dust and water resistant. This means that it is completely protected against dust and is protected against water immersion up to three feet deep. And that’s not the only unique feature of the Samsung Galaxy S5. The phone also features “ultra power saving mode,” which limits access to half a dozen apps, thus decreasing usage while still leaving the lines of communication open.

The Galaxy S5 operates on Android 4.4.2 and comes with either 16GB or 32GB user memory, plus a microSD slot which can effectively increase capacity to 128GB. It boasts a 5.1-inch display as well as a front and rear camera. Lastly, the phone comes loaded with Google Mobile Services, including Chrome, Drive, Gmail, Google+, YouTube and more.

It also includes a personal fitness tracker, S Health and a heart rate sensor. And since it is water and sweat resistant, you can make use of those features no matter what kind of exercise you’re doing.

Sony Xperia Z

Xperia-Z1S from sonymobile.com

The Sony Xperia Z received an IP rating of IP55 and IP57 meaning that it is protected from dust and protected against water immersion in up to three feet of water for 30 minutes. The company has boasted that users can shower with their phones or even drop them in the toilet without having to worry about losing any capacity.

The Sony Xperia Z is also a favorite among shutterbugs as it has inherited the long-standing reputation of Sony’s cameras. It features a 13-megapixel camera and the ability to take HDR photos.

This sleek phone features a 5-inch display and weighs only 5.15oz. It operates on Google Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) system and has a 1.5GHz Qualcomm core processor. In addition, its battery life is built for the active lifestyle with an estimated 11 hours of battery life.

With summer just around the corner, these two water-resistant smartphones are sure to make a splash.

– By Jennifer Thayer

Jennifer is an editor at Freshly Techy and enjoys covering everything from fun apps to the hottest gadgets to the newest tech developments. Follow her on Twitter to see her latest discoveries.