Folding phones and… water!

I recently declared that a phone needs to be lifeproof to be... well, Steve-proof, and that this partly means a decent degree off waterproofing, for use when it's raining (this is the UK!) and for surviving the occasional dunk in washing up water or similar. Which largely precludes the use of 'folding' phones, as in devices which unfold along their length to reveal a mini-tablet.

However, there are some subtleties here, if we look at specifications and review materials. So I thought a brief table might be helpful.

Device	Official IP rating	Notes
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4	IPX8	No official dust rating, though brushed hinges seem to keep most dirt out in JerryRigEverything tests.
Oppo Find N2	none	Advertised as 'dust and water resistant'. So OK for use in the rain, for example, but it won't survive a dunking.
Vivo X Fold 2	none	Teardowns have shown water gaskets and various protections, so again probably fine in the rain, even down the beach, but it will die if submerged.
Honor Magic Vs	none	Again, nothing official but teardowns show some water protection seals.
Pixel Fold	IPX8	As with the Z Fold 4, each half is individually waterproofed, but no guarantees about dust getting into the hinge and mid-screen.
Tecno Phantom V Fold	none	As above with the Vivo, Honor, and Opportunity. Some protections, but nothing definitive and no testing.

Quite a one-sided list, as it turns out, and understandably so, since Samsung is on its fourth generation of the 'Fold' concept (and the fifth is only a matter of a month or so way), so it's kind of nailed what's needed to keep water out. Incredible though it might seem, drop a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 in the washing up or bath or a puddle and you can just dry it on the sofa - or perhaps airing cupboard - and it'll be absolutely fine. Which is... necessary, to be lifeproof, I contend.

The rest of the contenders aren't totally out of order, mind you - each claims some water resistance, but none (other than Google's new Pixel Fold, which has yet to be seen in production) has put their money where their marketing mouth is in order to pay for official water ingress testing and get a rating. 

In the lesser phone world this is usually to save money (as testing is relatively expensive, we're talking £100k or so), but given that these are all £1000+ folding super-phones, I would have expected a few more official ratings. Maturity has a lot to do with it and I'd expect more IP ratings to pop up as other manufacturers hit their third and then fourth generations of hardware, learning lessons as they go.

In the meantime, at this exact moment, May 2023, I can only really recommend the Samsung Z Fold series from a lifeproof standpoint. That a user also then gets the most mature fold-aware software (arguably) and the highest overall specifications (display, chip, cameras, speakers) is a bonus.

It's also the (joint) most expensive device here, but there are usually ways to go 'contract' or to buy it from reputable sources in used but good condition.