Samsung Has A Fix For Galaxy S7 Active’s Inadequate Waterproofing
Samsung made headlines for all the wrong reasons earlier this month. The company’s brand new Galaxy S7 Active smartphone (an AT&T exclusive) was touted as a rugged device that can survive drops and even live to see another day after being dunked in up to five feet of water for up to 30 minutes.
Unfortunately, Consumer Reports’ testing showed that the smartphone’s waterproofing was not up to par, and failed to meet its IP68 dust/water resistance rating. The publication had not one, but two Galaxy S7 Active smartphones fail under its testing procedure. Following Consumer Reports’ initial investigation, Samsung stated, “There may be an off-chance that a defective device is not as watertight as it should be.”
Last week, the company issued the following statement:
The Galaxy S7 active passed rigorous tests to ensure IP68 certification for water resistance. Samsung stands behind this water resistance certification, and will replace any Galaxy S7 active under its standard limited warranty, should water damage occur.
Today, however, Samsung is singing a slightly different tune after having completed a thorough investigation into the failures. Samsung says that it has now fixed manufacturing irregularities that it found following the initial report. Samsung didn’t state exact how many smartphones have been returned under warranty due to water damage, but the company claims that “compared to the total number of devices sold, it was tiny.”
Despite the fact that a problem was identified and rectified on the production line, Samsung says that it is not recalling products already sold or that are currently sitting on store shelves. The company doesn’t want to create a panic with customers, and says that the original issue “will affect a very, very small number of devices.”
If you do, however, encounter water damage issues with your Galaxy S7 Active, you can either return it to the place of purchase, or send it off to Samsung for a warranty repair/replacement.
