Once thought of as only a luxury, it seems waterproofed Android devices are fast becoming a trend ’round these parts. While there are some obvious trade-offs that must be made (having a flap cover your USB port, or sucky speaker quality), generally the benefits of your smartphone surviving a dip in the toilet outweigh these small inconveniences.

Although not officially available subsidized through any US carrier at the moment, the Sony Xperia Z2 is such an Android device who’s claim to fame — along with top tier hardware specs — is its IP58 certified waterproofing. Although the rating only guarantees the device can be kept under about 1.5m of fresh water for 30 minutes, it appears the phone can endure much more than that.

During a weekend of jet skiing and fun in the sun, an Xperia Z2 owner accidentally dropped his smartphone into the ocean, where it sank to unreachable depths (about 32 feet). Figuring there was nothing more they could do and the phone was gone forever, it was 6 weeks later a friend, equipped with some scuba gear, decided to go fish it out. The phone suffered a cracked back (a result of one of the worst smartphone design choices since ever) although it was fully functional once charged. Again, pretty crazy considering the IP58 rating recommends the phone not be submerged for more than 30 minutes and not in salt water, and not in those kind of depths.

Given this extreme stress test we have to admit, we feel a little more secure in taking our newly purchased Sony Xperia Z2 into the tub for bath time. Thanks, Sony.

[via XperiaBlog]