Galaxy S26 Ultra vs iPhone 17

An IP rating ("Ingress Protection") tells you what a device's enclosure can resist. It's defined by the IEC 60529 standard and always has two digits.

How to read the digits

First digit — solids (0–6):

• 5 — dust-protected (some ingress permitted, won't affect operation)
• 6 — dust-tight (no ingress)

Second digit — water (0–9):

• 4 — splashes from any direction
• 5 — water jets from a nozzle
• 6 — powerful water jets (close-range, e.g. a pressure washer)
• 7 — immersion up to 1 m for 30 minutes
• 8 — immersion beyond 1 m (manufacturer specifies depth and duration)
• 9 — high-temperature, high-pressure jets (e.g. industrial steam cleaning)

So IP68 = dust-tight, survives deep immersion. IP69 = dust-tight, also survives high-pressure steam — the most extreme common consumer rating.

What IP ratings don't cover

• Pool/sea water: Chlorine and salt damage gaskets. IP68 doesn't promise the device survives swimming, even if some marketing implies it.
• Long-term aging: Gasket compression and adhesive bonds degrade. A 5-year-old IP68 phone is not as resistant as it was at launch.
• Soap, alcohol, oil: None of these are pure water, and they all attack different parts of the seal differently.

If you swim with your phone, the Galaxy S26 Ultra (IP68) and OnePlus 15 (IP69) are both rated for it on paper — but the conservative move is to put it in a waterproof case.