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What is an IP rating?
In This Article
You might see many tech devices that claim of having a certain IP rating, followed by some numbers. But what does this mean?
One of the many things to consider when buying a new tech product, be that a smartphone, headphones, or a tablet, is whether it has an IP rating. You’ll often see us mention this particular quality in reviews, but what does it actually mean in practice? This article will answer all your questions.
What does IP stand for?
IP stands forIngress Protection, meaning the extent to which objects or substances are prevented from entering the device in question. In the case of an IP rating, this specifically refers to the capability of a product to withstand exposure to water and dust.
What do the numbers mean?
Next to the initials IP, you’ll see a number; for instance, you may come across IP52 orIP67ratings. But what do these specific numbers mean? The first number references the ingress of solids (i.e. dust), and the second represents moisture (i.e. water). Therefore the two numbers are actually independent of each other. The below charts show the significance of each of the numbers as described byThe Enclosure Company, and what it means in practice.
What does an IPX rating mean?
If one of the digits in an IP rating has been replaced by an X (for example, IPX6) then this means that the quality has not been tested, so it does not have a rating for that functionality.
Why do some products not have IP ratings?
Given the usefulness of an IP rating in telling you how robust your device is, you may be wondering why some products do not have any such certification; the simple answer to this is that it actually costs money to obtain it.
Back in 2018, OnePlusclaimed that this would costaround $30/~£23 extra per handset, so it is a considerable expense that’s tacked on to the product’s price tag.
Does an IP rating provide a guarantee?
You might think, given the official certification and its cost, that an IP rating amounts to a guarantee; however, that’s not actually the case. It merely gives an indication of how you can expect your device to perform if exposed to the stated conditions, but you cannot get a refund for it if it fails to do as expected. Therefore, you definitely shouldn’t try testing to see how accurate your IP rating really is!
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Peter is a mobile tech writer, covering the latest smartphones, tablets, and wearables in news stories, reviews, and features. Previously he worked as a business researcher for Which?, analysing the m…
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Why trust our journalism?
Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
