OnePlus 7 Pro won't have official IP67 certification despite ad showing it dunked in water

OnePlus has stirred up a mini controversy of its own making with its latest teaser for its forthcoming OnePlus 7 series smartphones. The Chinese smartphone maker shows its latest flagship device being dropped into a bucket of water with the tag line “Waterproof ratings for phones cost you money. We just bought a bucket.” While an attempt at humor, it has fallen flat with some fans who didn’t see the funny side of a smartphone being marketed as having water resistance but doesn’t come with official IP67 or IP68 certification for such resistance.

The video clip ends with less than assuring disclaimer that the OnePlus 7 models will only be “Water resistant under optimal test conditions. OnePlus makes no guarantees regarding water/liquid resistance.” Further, the OnePlus has continually increased the price of each of its flagship devices with the OnePlus 7 Pro expected to cost well in excess of US$700. This has prompted fans to complain that at these types of prices, customers should reasonably expect an official IP67 or IP68 rating.

For his part, OnePlus CEO Carl Pei made a blog post in response to customer concerns stating:

This is not a bucket challenge, and we certainly don’t want all of you to try to drop your OnePlus 7 Pro in a bucket. And just like other smartphone brands that do IP classify their devices, our warranty does not cover water damage.

Pei does have a point. Most smartphone makers, even when they have received official IP certification for water and dust ingress, still don’t explicitly cover devices against water or damage from dust or dirt. Nonetheless, the lack of official certification does seem a little weak and not something that a company trying to compete with high-end flagships from Apple and Samsung would really want to be calling to our attention.