If you’ve lost a phone to water damage in the past, you might want to consider getting the Liquipel service done to it. They say that they will coat your phone with a nano treatment that makes it so you could technically drop your phone underwater and it would still function when you fish it out. After seeing this in action we just had to see if all of the hype is worth it or not.
Overview
Water and electronics just don’t mix, and it’s always the electronics that are never the same after an encounter. Replacement plans typically don’t include water damage, unless you pay extra for it, and if your phone is under warranty, it definitely won’t cover you getting your phone wet. There are cases you can buy for your phone that will keep it dry, but they usually make your phone heavier and bulkier, and add the extra bit of inconvenience if you have to take your phone out of the case in order to use it.
The Claim
Liquipel claims that their process applies an invisible nano-coating to your phone, both on the inside and outside, so that it can survive a dousing of water and still work just fine for you. They say that it bonds to the phone on a molecular level, which is why when you get your phone back, it looks the same as when you sent it off. They send along a treated tissue so you can get an idea of how the coating works, as well as how well it works. We’re guessing they do this so you’re not tempted to test out your phone’s newfound water repelling nature.
The Hype
The hype comes from watching a phone get submerged in water and still work. If you’ve ever experienced a case of water damage, you know that it’s a phone’s worst enemy, and all of those urban legends of sticking your phone in rice don’t actually work for today’s sophisticated phones like the new iPhone. There’s also a bit of hype when companies talk about nanotechnology and products that work at the molecular level, but we’ll save that for another day.
The Cost
Standard service is $60 and Priority is $70. The extra $10 gets them to treat your phone within a few hours of receiving it, instead of within days. If you want to speed things up even further, you can opt to have it shipped next day air instead of ground, but this nearly doubles the price.
The Commitment
You have to send your phone away for a day or two for them to treat it, and then wait for it to be delivered back to you, which depending on how dependent you are on your phone can be a big commitment for some. Perhaps you can switch to your old cell phone for a day or two if you still have it handy, or just rely on your home or office phone until you get your baby back.
Evaluation
The Liquipel company shows an iPhone playing a video while being submerged underwater, which is a pretty convincing display. A Liquipel rep has been quoted as saying that it’s not really a way to waterproof your phone, but serves more as a water repellent. He did say that it is good for being submerged in water for 3 feet for up to 30 minutes. You probably wouldn’t want to take it that far and expect your phone to still function like normal afterward.
Final Liquipel Review
The part that makes us recommend Liquipel is that it doesn’t add anything else to your phone, and after a few days of getting it back you’ll forget it has been treated. The luxury of using your phone the same way you did before, without having to worry about water damage is worth the Thumbs Up. Compared to other methods of keeping your phone safe from the perils of water, this one is pretty cutting edge, and definitely gives some peace of mind.
Our Recommendation
Surely this is not the end of the evolution of waterproofing devices, but only the beginning. Somewhere someone is cooking up the next best way to get the job done that doesn’t involve sending your phone away. Also, phone manufacturers will probably start waterproofing things at some point, rendering this service obsolete. But for right now it seems to be the best thing on the market for protecting your phone from incidental water damage.
Official Website: Liquipel.com
The case is garbage .. I called and told them that my case for the 8 plus wasn’t responding correctly to the touch . They told me initially they were happy to take care of it. Upon countless messages back and forth phone calls etc.. they said sorry nothing we can do for you .. if you want a decent case do t buy from this company
They also sent a small piece of cloth that received the same water resistant/treatment as the phone. I guess it’s purpose is to help satisfy the customer’s curiosity…”Try to get me wet” — it was actually pretty cool. I dunked the material in water several times and it came out perfectly dry.
I have also been caught in down pours sans umbrella and didn’t have to think twice about using my phone.
From what I have read, the treatment actually bonds with the phone so there’s really nothing to “rub off”.
I am for sure getting this done to my iPhone. I have insurance on the phone, but I did drop the previous one in the sink. It was there just long enough to saturate it. I tried everything to get it to work again, but it was dead. Like I said, I have insurance on the phone, but the deductible is $150. I still have to pay the deductible before I was able to get another phone, then you do without a phone until it arrives. A big pain. It is worth $60 to me if it indeed works.
Yeah, it’s not meant so you can just live underwater with your phone, saved me big time when I accidentally dropped my phone in the hot tub, actually couldn’t believe it worked
I think people need to realise that this is a repellent and not a full on water-proofer. More designed to keep water/liquid out if you spill your coffee over it not go diving with it!
Like naz above i’m interested in this for my phone but i really can’t see how it would work. Is the layer conductive? If not then parts like USB ports, headphone jacks etc would fail. If it is conductive then they would short when submerged… more investigation needed i think.
A friend of mine paid his $60 or whatever it is to have his iPhone liquipel’d, and when he needed it most (when he dropped it in water by mistake) it actually worked really well. I think the key is to not have your device submerged for too long.
Nice product, and i’m definitely considering getting it done, but i’d be interested to see the performance long term.
Does the coating rub/wear off over time with use?
I suppose after spending so much money on an new iphone or similar the $60 charge for coating isn’t too bad.