topic Re: Z3 Compact died after going in the pool! in XPERIA archive

Z3 Compact died after going in the pool!

ryaninc — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 11:38:01 GMT

Hi folks, I've had my Z3 Compact for exactly one week now. It's been a fantastic little device that I would have recommended to anyone. Not anymore. Yesterday I took it in the pool for the first time. I double and triple checked that the port covers were firmly closed and carefully went underwater to take some pictures of the kids. It was never underwater more than 1 or 2 feet.

It died in less than 5 minutes. I watched it happening. The screen started flickering on and off, then the buttons stopped working, and now it won't turn on at all. When I got out of the pool and dried it off, I checked under the port covers and sure enough, the lower one where the SIM card goes had visible moisture inside.

I'm seriously mad...this phone was advertised as being waterproof down to 1.5 meters. Sony's own homepage shows pictures of people swimming with it. And yet mine got water damaged in 1 foot of water after 5 minutes. This is completely unacceptable. I've contacted Sony support as well as the website wher I bought it (Handtec UK). Somebody IS going to replace this or I'll raise **bleep**. I didn't pay $500 for a waterproof phone just to have it die in the water!

So beware, fellow Z3c owners. Your phone may not be as waterproof as you were lead to believe.

Re: Z3 Compact died after going in the pool!

DeGraaff — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 11:45:01 GMT

I can understand that you're upset, but just because yours has an unfortunate defect that compromised the water resistance, doesn't mean that all of the phones are defective in that way, because then there would surely be many more water damage reports already.

Re: Z3 Compact died after going in the pool!

ryaninc — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 13:46:27 GMT

I realize that. But the fact that mine died so quickly after going in the water is definite cause for concern. To be honest, I'm not even sure I want want a new Z3c. This has seriously shaken my opinion of Sony.

Re: Z3 Compact died after going in the pool!

daneber — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 13:52:34 GMT

Hi.. I bought a Z2.. And had similar experience.. I noticed that Z3 had similar issues.. I had mine repaired but will never bring it near water again.

Re: Z3 Compact died after going in the pool!

alexmartins — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 14:02:19 GMT

We are having the same issues with xperia z3. You can check the topic in z3 section.
I hope sony admit some issue with our phones. At least we know we are not alone. Lets wait for sony's response.

Re: Z3 Compact died after going in the pool!

RexingtonSteele — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 14:24:15 GMT

Exactly the same for me ryaninc with my Z3. Put in water for 10s and died completely. Only had it 2 days. All ports were firmly closed, although I didn't check them before sending them off to see if that was the issue or water got in somewhere else.

It seems a lot of these phones aren't watertight. Sony cannot be advertsiing this as a waterproof phone if it isn't. I am wiating for the reply from the repair centre.....

I would advise anyone with a Z3 or Z3C not to take the phone underwater.

Re: Z3 Compact died after going in the pool!

easy_tiger — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 16:41:58 GMT

How terrible. My z3c is less then a week old and I really want to test it out under water but I'm too scared! I've seen quite a few complaints of the handset malfunctioning. I realise that perhaps only a handful of handsets may not be watertight but I really can't risk. I think I will return it under my 14 day cool down period.

Re: Z3 Compact died after going in the pool!

GebErit — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 17:44:15 GMT

When cars are made, each single one undergoes a water torture test, after which it is checked for any water leaks into the interior or engine compartment. Only the cars that have passed this test are distributed to dealers.

Sony phones are advertised as waterproof. Yet, they are probably not individually tested for waterproofness. They do not put them under water at the end of the production line. Hence, if the gasket designed to stop water penetrating into the phone via a SIM or SD card cover is faulty, Sony releases to distribution a phone that is actually not waterproof, despite claiming otherwise.

This policy will eventually backfire. There will be hundreds of customers whose phones have died despite covers closed properly. Only because a single gasket is not enough in terms of design to hold the water.

If you absolutely must go underwater with your Sony phone, it is definitely recommended that you use some watertight adhesive tape and cover all the ports, speakers and microphone holes with it.

The front and back panels of Sony phones are glued onto the phone body. If there is a gap in that glue layer, the water may enter the phone despite ports covered by tape.

So, I would not put my Sony Z1 Compact under water. There is just too much risk. I take the waterproofness feature as a bonus. Knowing that my phone should survive accidental exposure to water. Nothing more.

Re: Z3 Compact died after going in the pool!

DeGraaff — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 17:48:00 GMT

@easy_tiger wrote:
How terrible. My z3c is less then a week old and I really want to test it out under water but I'm too scared! I've seen quite a few complaints of the handset malfunctioning. I realise that perhaps only a handful of handsets may not be watertight but I really can't risk. I think I will return it under my 14 day cool down period.

I have tested mine for several minutes in water and no problem here. Just put it to the test. If you are suspicious about it, film it so that you have proof that you closed the flaps and all. While it may seem as if many people are reporting water damage, these are still only a handful of incidents amongst the probably hundreds of thousands that have been sold so far.

A number of devices do have defective flaps that don't stay closed firmly, so check if your flaps do stay closed like they should. If they open by themselves after a while, do not hesitate to bring it in for replacement.

Also note that there should not be coming bubbles from the device when you put it in water. A few bubbles in the first few seconds is normal, but if you keep seeing bubbles emerge, especially from around the flaps, take it out of the water immediately and contact your retailer.

Re: Z3 Compact died after going in the pool!

easy_tiger — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 19:13:52 GMT

Thanks DeGraaff, yeah you are right, I'll have to take the chance!

Re: Z3 Compact died after going in the pool!

DeGraaff — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 21:11:05 GMT

@easy_tiger wrote:
Thanks DeGraaff, yeah you are right, I'll have to take the chance!

Be sure to report back on how it went.

Re: Z3 Compact died after going in the pool!

Superkitsune — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 23:48:59 GMT

My Z1s had this issue. I submerged it many times as a test in my sink and even talked on the phone in the shower. But one day I wanted to use it underwater in a pool and all was over. It is in fact the flaps that cover the ports. If you use the USB port to charge your phone you can bet that after opening and closing the flaps so many times it will wear it out and be more at risk of exposure that's why I encourage using a magnetic dock for the phone. Also dust and debris that you may not see get on the gasget/ rubber can cause it to leak in cause it won't seal properly. Also there are other things to take into account. I did send my phone back to sony where they inspected it and sent me a new device under warranty. My experience was rather painless with the RMA allthough it took about 1 week and a half to get a new device. Like other users I wouldn't really use the phone in water if you can avoid it. Allthough it is water proof these devices are not tested rather it states they are Rated.

Something to note:

I used to be an Apple IOS advisor and after alot of RMA calls it was evident that refurbished phones from the manufacturer are better built than ones that come off an esembly line because they are rebuilt to spec and better built after the fact. Just something to take into account. Most manufactures do this. But it's funny to hear how people freak out about it because they are not getting a "new" phone. Anyway. I wouldn't really trust the waterproof with any device. But it's a great addition to its features. I like the Sony xperia phones. Pretty solid devices.

Re: Z3 Compact died after going in the pool!

DeGraaff — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 12:20:16 GMT

@Superkitsune wrote:
Allthough it is water proof these devices are not tested rather it states they are Rated.

They must have been tested, otherwise they cannot officially have IP ceritification. I'm sure that by far most of the devices are pretty much trouble-free. It is misleading with forums such as these, because they are a concentration of people who experience problems and defects so from the looks a support forum, any device would seem like a problem child. But in reality, they are only a handful of people in a huge crowd.

Re: Z3 Compact died after going in the pool!

ryaninc — Thu, 09 Oct 2014 19:54:42 GMT

Yes, that's definitely true. Forums like this definitely attract people with the same problems. It can easily make it seem like everyone everywhere is having the same problem, but it's never as bad as forums make it out to be.

Even so, the fact that it's happening to even a few of us is upsetting. Mine went back in the mail to Handtec today, they accepted a return. Hopefully they actually send a replacement and don't just send me a refund. If I do get a replacement, I'm honestly not sure if I'll trust it in the water. And that's sad.

Re: Z3 Compact died after going in the pool!

RexingtonSteele — Fri, 10 Oct 2014 09:48:45 GMT

I just want a replacement phone that I don'thave to pay for. I'm going to be pretty mad if they suggest it's my fault and want any form of payment for the repair.

If I do get a replacement phone it's not going near a drop of water.

Re: Z3 Compact died after going in the pool!

blyk35 — Sun, 23 Nov 2014 19:07:43 GMT

My phone died to when i got into the water with it!

Re: Z3 Compact died after going in the pool!

Wordfool — Sun, 23 Nov 2014 23:28:29 GMT

Did anyone do the pressure test to check for proper sealing? Doing this I determined the USB/SD/SIM covers are very sensitive and clearly a weakness for the waterproofing.

To do a pressure test dial *#*#7378423#*#* then go to Service Tests then Pressure Sensor. The air pressure will be displayed. Push firmly on the screen and you should see the pressure increase by 1-2mb then drop back down to normal again, all in about a second. If the pressure doesn't rise then the phone's not sealed.

I've done this after opening and closing the covers. Unless they're closed and pushed shut very firmly they fail the pressure test.

Re: Z3 Compact died after going in the pool!

Belendax — Thu, 11 Dec 2014 20:08:43 GMT

Hello dude, I just have the same problem now. So what happened in the end? did they repair it? or did they replace it for you?

Please let me know.

Such a bad feeling right now

Re: Z3 Compact died after going in the pool!

Orange1 — Fri, 12 Dec 2014 04:38:48 GMT

@DeGraaf

Your argument is fallacious. How many of those thousands of users have tested their devises under water? You can never tell because may be the majority of users dont try under-water photography. All units should be water tight. There should be minimum margin of error in a flagship phone from Sony.

This thread and others show that Sony may be conning and cheatng users by selling units that do not meet water-proof specs.

Re: Z3 Compact died after going in the pool!

HHGTTG — Fri, 12 Dec 2014 09:18:26 GMT

@Orange1 wrote:
@DeGraaf
Your argument is fallacious. How many of those thousands of users have tested their devises under water? You can never tell because may be the majority of users dont try under-water photography. All units should be water tight. There should be minimum margin of error in a flagship phone from Sony.
This thread and others show that Sony may be conning and cheatng users by selling units that do not meet water-proof specs.

Well if course it may be wrong of Sony to claim waterproof-ness of their device but I wouldn't dream of putting my phone under water no matter what Sony claim for our phones. If accidentally wetted by rain etc. well that's a different matter.

I think it's madness to submerge any electrical item unless it is protected by a purpose made casing as in the case of underwater cameras etc. This Sony phone just depends on a few push-fit covers being tight in, addition to extra precautions that may have been done to other sockets to render them safe under wet conditions.

You all can continue submerging your phones but I certainly won't unless I fall in the water. I cannot swim anyway so the phone's survival would be of no importance to me!