Samsung Galaxy S8 just saved lives of 20 people, thanks to its water resistance

A Galaxy S8 unit has survived more than 30 minutes underwater.

Days after Samsung was accused of false claims about its phones’ water resistance by Australian regulators, new reports have revealed that Galaxy S8 smartphone proved helpful in securing 20 people stuck in the waters off Bogo City, Philippines. Thanks to the phone’s water resistance, a user was able to call for the rescue team and shared his location with them.

Earlier this month, a boat carrying 16 foreign divers and four Filipino nationals on an island near Bogo city capsized in the waters. At least 30 minutes after the boat tipped over, the stranded passengers were able to call for help and returned to shore safely, according to Samsung Newsroom.

Meanwhile, one of the foreign divers, Canadian national Jim Emdee has said that he shared their GPS location with rescue team using Galaxy Note 9. “I really hope my thanks can make it to the engineering team as honestly it really saved us all. Only my S8 was able to connect and it worked all the way until we made it to land. It stayed alive for much longer than I thought possible, and it really made the difference,” Emdee added while admiring Samsung’s engineering team.

It is worth mentioning here that Galaxy S8 features IP68 water resistance. This means that it can survive five feet underwater for up to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, even during the recent legal proceedings against the company, Samsung intended to stand by its marketing and advertising of the water-resistance of its smartphones as the phones have proved what the company has claimed.

Besides increased resistance against water, the Samsung phones also carry emergency software features. For instance, Samsung 321 can quickly contact emergency services in dire situations. Samsung also recommends users to keep the GPS locator on their Galaxy smartphones turned on while traveling, especially if traveling alone or in remote areas.