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Cannonball! In the pool with the S7, Edge and Active

Can Samsung's three water-resistant phones put their money with their mouth is? Yes, we know phones don't have mouths, but we tossed them in the pool for half an hour anyway.

Jessica Dolcourt
Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
Jessica Dolcourt
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What's the best way to test a phone's "waterproofing" claims? Toss it in the pool and see if it survives.

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2 of 19 James Martin/CNET

It starts with three phones: the Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 Active and S7 Edge, all rated to withstand up to 30 minutes in 5 feet of water (1.5 meters).

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3 of 19 James Martin/CNET

We measured the depth with a tape measure, and set up rocks to keep the phones from sliding.

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4 of 19 James Martin/CNET

I charged the three phones and went through the setup process, but otherwise, they're fresh from the box.

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5 of 19 James Martin/CNET

The handoff: Getting the phones into the pool without wetting them first.

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6 of 19 James Martin/CNET

Diving down to place the phones.

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7 of 19 James Martin/CNET

A GoPro recorded the phones underwater.

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8 of 19 James Martin/CNET

28 minutes later, I pulled them out.

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9 of 19 James Martin/CNET

I noticed right away that the Always On display was visible on all three phones, which means they were all powered on.

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10 of 19 James Martin/CNET

Inspection time.

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11 of 19 James Martin/CNET

The Always On display is hard to see...

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...but it's there.

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13 of 19 James Martin/CNET

Everyone wanted to take a look.

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14 of 19 James Martin/CNET

I rebooted the phones, took photos and used them like you would any phone.

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15 of 19 James Martin/CNET

No water leaked into the camera.

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16 of 19 James Martin/CNET

There's no telltale cloudiness inside the lens, either.

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17 of 19 James Martin/CNET

Same goes for the front-facing camera.

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18 of 19 James Martin/CNET

Water in the ports doesn't mean it's in the phone. They're nanocoated to protect the electronic innards.

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19 of 19 James Martin/CNET

All three S7 models passed the dunk test! Check out our full test results and video here.

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