Why Pixel 10 Pro Fold’s IP68 rating won’t bother Samsung one bit

Jenith

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Samsung has to be particularly proud of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 as it's the world's thinnest foldable phone. The series has quite a few “world's firsts” under its belt, including being the first to obtain a water resistance rating, claiming that crown with the Galaxy Z Fold 3 back in 2021.

There was an expectation that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 might come with an improved IP68 rating but that didn't happen. Google launched the Pixel 10 Pro Fold yesterday and it claimed the brownie points of being the world's first with an IP68 rating, but that's not going to bother Samsung much.

An IP48 rating means that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 can technically survive submersion in up to 1.5m of freshwater for up to 30 minutes and the device is protected against dust particles larger than 1mm. IP68 promises even better dust resistance which comes in handy for a device with as many moving parts as a foldable phone.

This would suggest that the Pixel 10 Pro Fold has better durability compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 7, at least on paper, but even Google is wary of making such claims. While it has highlighted the IP68 rating prominently in the marketing materials for this phone, they're accompanied by lengthy disclaimers to remind users that IP Address ratings aren't a license to rough up your phone.

Google clarifies that this device has been designed to comply with the IP68 standard when it leaves the factory “but the device is not water or dust proof.” It also reminds users that water and dust resistance are never permanent as these qualities can degrade over time with the sealants becoming less effective or new ingress points being created due to bumps and drops.

That holds true for any device, not just foldable phones, but given that these devices tend to be not as durable as conventional slab phones the disclaimers make sense, particularly since Google is claiming the crown of being the first to launch a foldable phone with an IP68 rating.

Samsung could have done the same for the Galaxy Z Fold 7 if it wanted to. The IP48 rating has been around for its foldables for several years now. Given the scale of the hardware and engineering improvements it has made to this year's Galaxy Z Fold 7, one can imagine that sealing up a few additional bits and pieces would have achieved the desired level, but perhaps it wasn't something that the company was interested in doing.

What would have been the point of laying claim to this crown while having to give so many disclaimers that effectively strip away the confidence that some may derive from it in the first place? While Galaxy Z devices have proven to be quite durable and last easily as a daily driver for years, there's still an unspoken understanding that you have to be a bit more careful with your foldable phone than you'd be with a slab phone.

For Samsung, there was a more important goal in mind for the Galaxy Z Fold 7, the device that brought some of the biggest improvements yet for its top-of-the-line foldable. It wanted the device to have no rival as the world's thinnest foldable phones, and while there are claimants to that title, we've tested them all and found that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is indeed the thinnest of them all.

Not wasting time on an IP68 rating was likely a calculated decision by the company. This alone isn't going to be what swings customers' purchase decision. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 offers so much more, even when you don't consider its super slim profile. It looks better, has better internals, higher quality displays, and a software experience that enables you to extract the most out of the foldable form factor.

Customers have already voted with their wallets. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 has broken records in key markets, including the United States, making it abundantly clear that customers aren't too concerned about the IP Address rating of the device. Even those who compare the Pixel 10 Pro Fold vs Galaxy Z Fold 7 now while find themselves gravitating towards Samsung's offering, because it's just better.

The post Why Pixel 10 Pro Fold’s IP68 rating won’t bother Samsung one bit appeared first on imeisource.
 
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