Best waterproof phones — Note 10, Pixel 3, and more (September 2019)

Smartphones that can handle being dropped in a bucket of water or getting caught in the rain aren’t as rare as they used to be. More and more smartphone manufacturers are launching waterproof phones with IP67 and IP68 ratings, which shouldn’t be rendered useless if they get submerged in water by accident. While technically no phone is completely waterproof, a lot of them will survive a dip in a pool for as long as 30 minutes. Here are the best ones.

Best waterproof phones:

Editor’s note: We’ll be updating this list of the best waterproof phones regularly as new devices launch.

1. Samsung Galaxy Note 10 series

The Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus are IP68 rated for protection against water and dust. But they’re more than just water-resistant devices, as you’re also getting a Snapdragon 855 or Exynos 9825 processor, an S-Pen stylus, and a triple-camera setup at the very least (the Note 10 Plus gets a ToF camera too). 

As for other major differences between the two phones, the Note 10 Plus has a larger, sharper screen (6.8-inch QHD+ versus the Note 10’s 6.3-inch FHD+ panel), a bigger battery (4,300mAh versus 3,500mAh), and an optional 512GB variant.

There are a couple of disappointing omissions here, though. The Galaxy Note 10 doesn’t have a microSD card slot, while both devices lack a headphone jack. If these two features are deal-breakers for you, one of the Galaxy S10 phones should be more up your alley.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 specs:

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus specs:

2. Huawei P30 Pro

The P30 Pro is currently the best phone is Huawei’s lineup, sporting a large 6.47-inch display with curved edges, the Kirin 980 chipset, and as much as 8GB of RAM. It’s IP68 certified, meaning it can survive in up to 1.5 meters (~five feet) of water for a maximum of 30 minutes.

It’s the cameras that make the P30 Pro truly stand out.

The phone impresses in the photography department — its four rear cameras take fantastic shots, even in super low-light conditions thanks to Huawei’s Night Mode. It also comes with an in-display fingerprint scanner, has a gorgeous design, and supports wireless charging as well as reverse wireless charging.

The battery is worth a mention as well, coming in at a massive 4,200mAh. Our very own David Imel got between nine and 10 hours of screen-on time during his testing, which is well above average. All these things combined make the P30 Pro one of the best waterproof phones you can currently get.

Huawei P30 Pro specs:

3. Samsung Galaxy S10 series

The Galaxy S10 Plus, S10, and S10e are all IP68 rated for protection against water and dust. They all also feature wireless charging, have a headphone jack, and sport a punch-hole display for a modern look.

The Galaxy S10 Plus offers the most of the three phones. It has the largest display, the biggest battery, and two front-facing cameras instead of one. Most of its other specs and features, including the in-display fingerprint scanner and the triple-camera setup, are the same as those of the regular Galaxy S10.

The Galaxy S10e offers the least when it comes to specs and features, but it’s still a suitable phone for power users. It has the smallest display, sports two rear cameras, and comes with a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. It’s powered by the same chipset as its two larger brothers.

Samsung Galaxy S10e specs:

Samsung Galaxy S10 specs:

Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus specs:

4. Sony Xperia 1

Sony’s latest flagship has a lot going for it. It’s IP65/IP68 rated, sports three rear cameras, and has a large 6.5-inch 4K display. The screen has an aspect ratio of 21:9, which makes it quite tall.

The handset has plenty of power, packing the Snapdragon 855 chipset under the hood along with 6GB of RAM. It has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner like a lot of other Xperia phones as well as the Galaxy S10e, and runs Android 9.0 Pie.

Like all phones, the Xperia 1 has a few drawbacks. It doesn’t have a headphone jack, lacks wireless charging, and packs a rather small 3,300mAh battery. Regardless, it’s still one of the best waterproof phones you can get.

Sony Xperia 1 specs:

5. Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL

A combination of high-end specs, a great software experience, and a fantastic camera is what puts the Pixel 3 and 3 XL among the best waterproof phones on the market today. Both are IP68 rated, meaning they’ll survive in up to 1.5 meters (~five feet) of water for as long as 30 minutes.

The Pixel 3 phones offer a clean Android experience and feature a fantastic camera.

The Pixel 3 and 3 XL only sport a single camera at the back but are still among the best phones for photography. They can capture fantastic images, even in low-light conditions thanks to Google’s Night Sight technology. As they run stock Android, they will be among the first to get updated to the latest version of the OS.

The phones are similar in terms of specs, both featuring the same chipset, camera, and memory options. However, the Pixel 3 XL does have a larger display with a higher resolution, a bigger battery, and a notch.

Pixel 3 specs:

Pixel 3 XL specs:

6. Razer Phone 2

Unlike the other waterproof phones on this list, the Razer Phone 2 is IP67-rated instead of IP68, allowing it to safely stay in up to one meter (~3.3 feet) of water for a maximum of 30 minutes. The device is aimed at gamers, featuring a vapor chamber cooling system and a design that definitely stands out.

The Razer Phone 2 is equipped with two front-facing speakers for a more immersive gaming experience, a large 4,000mAh battery, and a dual-camera setup at the back. There’s only 64GB of storage available, which isn’t much for a gaming phone, but you can expand it for an additional 1TB with a microSD card.

The display of the device isn’t the biggest at 5.72 inches, but it does have a 120Hz refresh rate that makes everything look smoother and more fluid. You can check out a few other specs of the Razer Phone 2 in the table below.

Razer Phone 2 specs:

7. Huawei Mate 20 Pro

Like the P30 Pro, the Huawei Mate 20 Pro is also resistant to water thanks to its IP68 rating. The flagship sports an in-display fingerprint scanner, packs a large 4,200mAh battery, and supports 3D facial recognition.

You also get wireless charging as well as reverse wireless charging, although the latter is painfully slow. There are three cameras at the back that offer a lot of versatility when taking pictures and perform extremely well in low-light situations.

The Mate 20 Pro has a gorgeous design, sporting a metal and glass body that comes in a few eye-catching gradient colors. The phone isn’t available in the U.S., but you can get it in Europe as well as many other regions — check out the current pricing via the button below.

Huawei Mate 20 Pro specs:

8. LG G8 ThinQ

The last model on our list of the best waterproof phones in the LG G8 ThinQ. It’s IP68-rated, so you won’t have to worry in case you drop it in the pool or get caught in the rain while making a phone call. The phone is a great choice for music lovers, as it sports a headphone jack as well as a Hi-Fi Quad DAC for an improved audio experience.

One of the things that make it stand out is the Z camera, which can map out the veins in your palm that can then be used to unlock the device. You can also do things like take a screenshot and open an app with hand gestures, all without touching the screen. However, these features don’t work quite as well as we’d like.

Other specs and features of the LG G8 include a decent dual-camera setup at the back, wireless charging, and the Snapdragon 855 chipset. The phone also has stereo speakers and a great OLED display with a notch on top.

LG G8 ThinQ specs:

These are our picks for the best waterproof phones you can get, although there are a lot of other great options out there as well. We’ll be sure to update this post once new models hit the market.