An AT&T employee chronicled his Galaxy S4 Active adventures as he dunked it in a fish tank and tried to take a video as part of a product demonstration. Everything seemed fine until the phone started acting wonky a few minutes later. A quick check of the S4 Active revealed that water had seeped inside the phone via the rubber USB flap.
The employee is trained in operating the phone and chalks up his experience to a flaw in the handset that allowed water to leak inside. He warns customers to ignore the advertising that claims the S4 Active is waterproof and tells them not to immerse the phone. If they do, they risk ruining their device. This isn’t an isolated case, a growing number of people report having problems with the phone after they use it in the water.
The kicker in this case, according to Venture Beat, is the fact that Samsung’s warranty for the Galaxy S4 Active doesn’t cover water damage. In the phone manual for the S4 Active, Samsung writes
“This Limited Warranty does not cover: (a) defects or damage resulting from accident, misuse, abnormal use, abnormal conditions, improper storage, exposure to liquid, moisture, dampness, sand or dirt, neglect, or unusual physical, electrical or electromechanical stress […].”
If you use Aqua Mode as Samsung advertises and something goes horribly awry, Samsung is not responsible. If you have an S4 Active or plan on getting one, does this change your opinion of the phone?
[Via xda-developers and Venture Beat]