The iPhone 7 is rated IP67. What does this mean?

iphone 7 from the apple keynote

When Apple announced the new iPhone 7, they surprised many by announcing that the device carried an IP (Ingress Protection) 67 rating for dust/water protection. What does this mean?

An IP rating is made up of two numbers.

The first number in the IP rating pertains to how well a device is protected from solid materials (think sand, dirt, dust and so on).

A rating of 6 means the device is completely protected from dust and other solid materials.

The second number in the IP rating pertains to how well a device is protected from liquids (think soup, milkshakes, beer and, of course, water).

A rating of 7 indicates that the device is protected from immersion in liquids at depths up to 1m for a time period of up to 30 minutes.

tags: