If you’ve followed the Android space for any length of time then chances are good that you’ve encountered a rugged smartphone or tablet along the way. Surely, you’ve seen a waterproof or dustproof handset and/or an IP rating.  But what the heck is an IP rating and how do you tell them apart? As one of our readers (Clint Henderson) tells us, it’s not all that difficult to figure out.

First off, IP stands for Ingress Protection and is designed to help rate suitability of enclosures against elements such as rain or dust.

The first digit of the IP rating has to deal with protection against solids and ranges from 1-6 with the higher numbers protecting better. The second digit refers to protection against liquids and ranges from 1-8 with the higher numbers protecting against immersion.

We’ve embedded a chart below which spells things out quite nicely and think you’d be better for checking it out.

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