There was a time when water resistance on a smartphone was rare. Now, at the high-end anyway, it’s very common, notable more for its absence than its presence.
But some of these phones are still more water resistant than others and some are also just better phones than others too.
With that in mind we’ve created this guide to the best water-resistant phones available. Their level of water resistance is a key factor in all of them, but they’re all good phones too.
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Technically the Blackview BV9900 Pro isn’t going to be one of the best water-resistant phones for most people, but if you’re looking for a water-resistant handset then you might also want it to be durable in other ways, and the BV9900 Pro is certainly that.
The Blackview BV9900 Pro has IP68/IP69K water resistance, making it fit to be submerged up to 1.5 metres deep for up to 30 minutes. That’s a fairly standard level of waterproofing for a phone, but it also has an underwater camera mode, and this is additionally drop-proof from greater heights than most phones, as well as being dust-proof.
It’s also built for adventurers, as it has a thermal imaging camera, so you can see people, creatures, and other heat sources even in the dark. It even works at temperatures as low as -30°C, and it supports GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou for precise navigation wherever you are.
A 4,380mAh battery meanwhile will keep the Blackview BV9900 Pro running for a long time, and it doesn’t neglect the basics either, with a mid-range chipset, 8GB of RAM, and a 5.84-inch FHD+ screen. It’s not for everyone, but for some this will be the perfect water-resistant handset.
The iPhone SE (2020) makes this list in part because it’s an excellent water-resistant phone, but also because it’s more affordable than most on this list, making it a strong mid-range choice.
It’s IP67 rated, with the ability to go up to 1 metre deep for up to 30 minutes. That’s not quite as good as some phones, but it’s very decent for a mid-range handset.
Beyond that, the iPhone SE (2020) stands out by offering loads of power – as it has the same chipset as the iPhone 11 Pro Max – in a seriously compact size, as it has just a 4.7-inch screen. So it’s ideal for fans of small phones and anyone who likes to be able to fully reach across the screen with one hand.
It also has a good - albeit single-lens – camera, wireless charging, and generally strong all-round specs. By Apple standards it’s a bargain.
The OnePlus 9 Pro is a true flagship and it comes with all the water resistance you’d expect, as it’s IP68 rated and can withstand depths of up to 1.5 metres for up to 30 minutes.
As well as being resistant to water, the OnePlus 8 Pro is just a top all-round phone. It has a 6.7-inch 1440 x 3216 AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate (for silky smooth interactions) and support for HDR10+.
It also has a high-end Snapdragon 888 chipset paired with up to 12GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage. There’s a quad-lens camera with 48MP main, 8MP telephoto, 50MP ultra-wide, and 2MP monochrome components, there’s also a big 4,500mAh battery, an in-screen fingerprint scanner, and of course a premium design.
All that and the OnePlus 9 Pro also slightly undercuts some other top flagship phones, making it a brilliant choice if you want a no-compromise handset with good water resistance and a fair price.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra matches the OnePlus 9 Pro in terms of water resistance, with its IP68 rating allowing for submersion at depths of up to 1.5 metres for up to 30 minutes.
Outside of water resistance it also matches or beats the OnePlus 9 Pro in most other ways, as this too is a true flagship. It has a 6.8-inch 1440 x 3200 AMOLED screen with HDR10+ support and a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, plus there’s a top-end Exynos 2100 chipset, up to 16GB of RAM, and a 5,000mAh battery.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra also has a brilliant quad-lens camera setup, with a 108MP main sensor, a 10MP telephoto one (with 3x optical zoom), a 10MP periscope one (with 10x optical zoom), and a 12MP ultra-wide one.
Other highlights include a stylish glass and metal build, an in-screen fingerprint scanner, support for Samsung’s S Pen stylus, and both fast and wireless charging.
It’s worth noting that the standard Samsung Galaxy S21 and the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus offer the same level of water resistance and are also very good, but the S21 Ultra is the top model.
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The iPhone 12 Pro is our number one pick if you want a phone with water resistance, as while its official rating is IP68 like many other handsets, in practice it’s more water resistant than most, as Apple claims it can be submerged up to 6 metres deep for up to 30 minutes.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max is capable of the same, but it’s also more expensive, so the iPhone 12 Pro is our top choice as it strikes a better balance between what you pay and what you get.
It has a super-powerful A14 Bionic chipset, which, coupled with its 6GB of RAM, makes it one of the best performing phones on the planet.
It also has a great quad-lens camera with 12MP main, telephoto, and ultra-wide sensors, along with a LiDAR scanner for judging depth. And there’s a mid-size 6.1-inch 1170 x 2532 OLED screen with HDR10 support.
The iPhone 12 Pro also comes with up to 512GB of storage, facial recognition through Face ID, an iconic design, and decent battery life. If we were just rating phones the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra would perhaps be ahead, but for its extra water resistance this tops our chart.
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Any of these phones will survive the rain, or a splash, dunk, or spill. We wouldn’t recommend taking any of them swimming, but if you’re going to then the iPhone 12 Pro is the most likely to survive.
That, plus it being a great phone in general, means it gets our vote as the best all-rounder that’s also water-resistant.
That said, it’s also expensive, so if you’re on a budget consider the iPhone SE (2020), while those more into Android should consider the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra or OnePlus 9 Pro, and the adventurous among you might want to check out the Blackview BV9900 Pro.
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