The Samsung A50 belongs to the Galaxy A series along with the A10, A20, A30, A350, and A70 models, and was released all the way back in 2019.
On the question of, “Is the Samsung A50 waterproof?” The official manufacturer’s website doesn’t offer any indication of the phone’s waterproof/water-resistance capabilities.
However, the breaking news here is that our experts have tested it to find that while the Samsung A50 is not waterproof, it is water-resistant.
The phone can withstand splashes of water but is likely to suffer severe damage if submerged in water for more than 30 minutes.
You also need to keep in mind that smartphones react differently to freshwater, groundwater, chlorinated water, and salt water.
Salt water will typically cause damage to occur more quickly, so while your Samsung A50 may work even if it slips into freshwater, it is less likely to be functional after being exposed to ocean waves!
Does the Samsung A50 have Water Resistance?
Yes, the Samsung Galaxy A50 has water-resisting capabilities.
Even though there is no official indication found, it appears that the Samsung A50 has an IP (International Protection) rating equivalent to that of a water-resistant phone.
The numbers followed by IP indicate a smart device’s dust and water tolerance levels.
For example, IP68 indicates that the phone is resistant to dust and can sustain submersion in freshwater for a limited time. A phone with this rating can therefore resist water damage to a reasonable extent.
As a result, some brands tend to project this IP rating as ‘waterproof’. It is currently the best and highest IP rating available in the smartphone market.
What is IP Rating?
As explained above, the IP rating is the international protection rating (or ability) of an electronic device to withstand two types of intrusions- solids and liquids.
As a general rule, a device with a higher rating/number is better than one with a lower rating. The higher the number, the higher the resistance of the device.
The IP rating is determined after a series of tests are conducted following the standards set by the authority board.
Not all electronic devices and smartphones are tested for solid and liquid resistance. The IP rating is not mentioned in these cases, though similar tests are conducted.
If the IP rating looks like IPX4 or IP5X, it means that the device has been tested only for one element. X denotes the lack of rating.
A phone with an IPX4 rating may or may not be dust resistant, but has the minimum requirements to be water-resistant for a short time. Therefore, you won’t have to worry if droplets of water splash on the phone.
Similarly, IP5X means that the phone is dust resistant to the point where it doesn’t collect harmful deposits, but we can’t know for sure about its water-resisting abilities.
How do I Know if My Samsung A50 has Water Damage?
It’s pretty normal for a phone to end up getting wet in the most unexpected of circumstances.
Naturally, when this happens it’s normal to be worried that the phone may have been damaged in some way. Most of the time, we don’t know if we should turn it on and test it or to take it straight to the technician!
So, how do we know if our Samsung A50 has suffered from water damage or not?
The Samsung A50 belongs to the entry-level category of Galaxy models. Unfortunately, this means that it doesn’t have a fancy-pants IP68 rating to boast of.
However, it does come with a non-removable battery and a tight casing fixed with powerful glue. This should make the device water-resistant to a certain extent.
At the same time, the USB slot is left open and this can allow water to seep into the phone quite easily.
Quite handily, the A50 has a moisture detector that will alert you if and when the phone has moisture inside.
When this occurs, it is highly recommended that you turn the phone off completely and let the moisture dry out naturally.
This means leaving it alone for a span of at least 24 hours- and don’t try to speed the process up with a hairdryer! It’s definitely not a good idea to charge it at this time, either.
You can check the LDI (Liquid Damage Indicator) strip inside the SIM/ SC card slot to determine if the phone has suffered water damage.
To do this, turn off the phone and slide out the SIM/ SD card tray. Then, use a flashlight to shine a white light into the slot.
If you see the LDI in full pink, purple, or red, that is an indication that the phone has suffered from water damage and needs an expert to take a closer look.
If the space looks white, or has pink/purple crosses on a white background, it means that the phone has not suffered from water damage. However, it may still have been exposed to some level of moisture if the moisture detector displayed an alert.
Do not try to remove the battery or take apart the components of your phone to dry it.
Really, the best thing to do is to keep the phone turned off and to take it to the nearest Samsung/ smartphone technician, as a trained expert is the right person in this situation to dry and repair the device.
Which Samsung Phones are Waterproof?
The following are some of the most popular waterproof and water-resistant smartphones produced by Samsung:
- The Samsung Galaxy S Series smartphones are water-resistant
- The Samsung Galaxy Note series are water-resistant and waterproof (if they have an IP68 rating)
- The Samsung Galaxy A52, A72, A8 Plus, A7, A5, and A3 are water-resistant
- The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 is water-resistant
Check the IP rating of the phone to know for sure whether it is waterproof or not.
Look closely also for terms such as water-resistant or sweat-resistant in the phone’s features overview.
Top Tip: If a phone is ‘water-resistant’, it isn’t waterproof!
FAQ’s About Waterproof
| Ratings | Solids | Liquids |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | No Protection | No Protection |
| 1 | Protection from accidental touch | Protection from condensation |
| 2 | Protection from fingers | Protection from mild direct spray |
| 3 | Protection from tools/ wires | Protection from moderate water spray (at an angle of 60 degrees) |
| 4 | Protection from wires/ nails | Protection from water splashes from all directions for a limited time |
| 5 | Protection from dust with no harmful deposits | Protection from low-pressure water jet for a limited time |
| 6 | Complete protection from dust | Protection from strong pressure water jet for a limited time |
| 7 | Protection from watertight immersion for < 1m for up to 30 mins | |
| 8 | Protection from watertight immersion for < 1.5m for up to 30 mins |
Q2. Water-resistant vs. Waterproof – what’s the difference?
A water-resistant phone can survive splashes of water- think raindrops, sweat, a bit of liquid spill, or a few pieces of snow. Anything beyond that will affect the phone and start damaging its circuits.
A waterproof phone can be completely submerged in water of depth of up to 1.5 meters for around 10-30 minutes. It will easily survive a fall into the sink, pool, puddle, or bath if taken out within a few minutes!
Q3. What does an ATM mean for smart devices?
A smart device sometimes doesn’t show any IP rating. However, there might be an ATM rating (atmospheres) to indicate that it can withstand outdoor activities.
In most instances, ATM rating represents a device’s underwater capacity, especially for smartwatches. 1 ATM means that the device is safe underwater for up to 10 meters.
Summary
The Samsung A50 smartphone is not a fully waterproof model, but it does have water-resisting capabilities to an extent.
We cannot exactly specify the water-resistant rate as there is no official IP rating provided by Samsung.
However, it has been found that the A50 is capable of water resistance and can withstand a splash or two of water without significant issue.
Always keep in mind that the type of water also plays an important role in determining the water-resistant nature of smartphones.
As you might imagine, sea water and chlorinated water will damage phones faster than freshwater.
Therefore, the best thing to do would be to contact a technician if your Samsung A50 has been immersed or exposed to water (especially the salty kind) for more than a few minutes!
