The upcoming Google Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones will reportedly come with very limited water and dust resistance. Information obtained from reliable sources strongly indicates that the next generation handsets manufactured by HTC will sport IP53 rating. This means that you will not be able to immerse the devices completely under water and also need to use them carefully under water splashes.
According to the International Protection Rating (IP Protocol), the IP53 offers very minimalistic protection from water and dust intrusions. The first digit that is “5” in the rating means that the upcoming Google Pixel phones will have some kind of resistance from dust, but will not feature complete resistance. In comparison, smartphones like Samsung Note 7, Apple iPhone 7 or Apple iPhone 7 Plus boast IP6x certification which declares them to be invincible from every type of dust intrusions.
Coming to the water resistance part in the IP53 rating of the Pixel and Pixel XL handsets, they will supposedly offer some defense against liquid damages. The second digit or “3” is concerned with the water protection department. According to the IP Protocol, this would save the future smartphones from water dropping from a maximum angle of 60 degrees from the vertical. It means that you must hold your Pixel or Pixel XL smartphones strategically under the rain or water splashes to shield it from any possible liquid intrusion.
In contrast, the IP67 certified Apple iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus can be dipped under 1-metre-deep water for 30 minutes without causing any hard to the device. The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 can go even beyond, and immersing it under 1.5-metre water level for over 30 minutes will have no effect on the handset. This points out the inferior kind of liquid protection the Pixel and Pixel XL will allegedly offer. Thus, we can infer that in spite of boasting an IP rating, Google’s upcoming smartphone line-up will be nowhere near its competitors.
The Pixel and Pixel XL will supposedly release on October 2, 2016. They will be the replacement of the Nexus smartphones this year. So far rumors suggest that they will sport Qualcomm’s greatest Snapdragon 821 along with 4 GB of LPDDR4 RAM. With a 5-inch Full HD display, Pixel will be the smaller one while; the bigger Pixel XL will come with a 5.5-inch QHD panel.