OnePlus 9 & 9 Pro waterproofing explained: Are the phones waterproof?

Source: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central

Can the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro handle getting wet?

Since its first phone, OnePlus devices have always had a bit of mystery surrounding water resistance. So, it makes sense that we ask if the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro waterproof? If you don’t recall, nearly every major phone released by OnePlus has always had the same asterisk attached to it. That being, the phones are tested and manufactured to be water-resistant, but they weren’t officially certified. This changed with the OnePlus 8 and continued with the OnePlus 9 series, well sort of — again a mystery.

Like the OnePlus 8 series, the OnePlus 9 Pro is fully certified IP68 regardless of where you buy it from. However, if you go for the less expensive OnePlus 9, it won’t have the official IP68 water and dust resistance badge. That is unless you get it through T-Mobile, then it will — confusing, I know.

There is no difference in the physical hardware between the carrier and unlocked versions of the OnePlus 9. As OnePlus has stated in the past, getting the official IP certification costs money, and to keep the price down, the company forgoes getting that label. However, it is still built to the certification’s standard. If you purchase the unlocked OnePlus 9 and it gets water damage, the warranty is unlikely to be honored.

Are these phones waterproof or water-resistant?

An IP rating refers to how resistant a device is to water and dust, not how durable it may be. So, since these phones are still slabs of glass and metal, picking up one of the best OnePlus 9 or 9 Pro cases to go along with the best screen protector would be a wise investment. As for whether the phones are waterproof or water-resistant — they are resistant to water.

When you see labels like IP68, it relates to how water and dust resistant something is — it’s actually an acronym. The IP stands for ingress protection, and the 68 describes how protected the device is. The first number, in this instance, “6,” means that the OnePlus 9 Pro is dust-tight. Whereas the second number, “8,” indicates the water protection level, the 8 means that the phone is rated to withstand water ingress pressure of 1 meter, generally tested for 30 minutes.

So, if you have the OnePlus 9 Pro or the OnePlus 9 from T-Mobile, if you’re brave with the unlocked version, you can be confident that your phone can handle a bit of water and survive unscathed. Just keep in mind that the rating is IP68, so don’t take your phone on your next scuba diving excursion.