(forward to 1:16 if you just want to watch the underwater video)
The only reason I pulled this out of my thread is to make sure it is visible. The question arose whether or not an aftermarket QI receiver will cause the Galaxy S5 to leak water. The answer is in the video. You can actually hear the phone start to malfunction. I knew this was a high risk trial. It was a gamble and I lost. Well technically my wife lost. She now hates the Note 3 I have her using
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If you look at the picture above, you can see the smooth path around the inside of the device that the seal on the battery door matches up with. Sometimes you will notice air bubbles come out of the phone when you submerge it. This is probably because water is allowed to get into areas up to the seal.
Now look at the QI receiver pad's ribbon cable that protrudes on the top left. One of the QI prongs is located within the seal path. Naturally the ribbon was in seal path as well. In addition to this, the small amount of bulk added under the cover could have been just enough to affect the small seals. Perhaps you could cut the ribbon ever so slightly, and do other modifications to make the pad thinner. Who really wants to do that and re-perform this test though?
I am definitely not accusing Samsung for any failure on their part. There are articles about the S4 Active having issues and AT&T doing on time courtesy replacements for those devices (unmodified). I checked with AT&T for S&Gs to see if there were any reports of S5s with issues. They said no. Only time will tell. This is not a warranty issue anyways because I modified the device.
The setup was tested with in a bathroom tub with the device off earlier in the day. It passed. No water seeped past the door seal. I should have tested it a few times at various depths up to 12" and moved the phone around to encourage water to get in. Starting at 1 second, 5 seconds, 10 seconds etc. Small tests would have minimized the amount of water that could have entered the phone without detection.
My recommendation is to not use the device on purpose for underwater photography. Take measures if you are going to be in an environment which could potentially result in your phone getting wet. Make sure all the seals are in tact and do not press buttons while the phone is submerged. It might not be a factor but why try?
If you ever notice water getting into your phone, no matter what make or model, turn it off immediately, take out the battery, and inspect. Upon inspection, should you notice any moisture, dry the phone for 24-48 hours at a minimum. This phone DID NOT die immediately. It actually just got worse over time. I should have dried it for about half a week I'm thinking. Remember, it's not really the water that does the damage to the circuitry. It's the electricity that is running though the water and shorting out components. Water seeping into the display probably isn't good in general but just trying to make a point. Initially it was only the home button that was malfunctioning (registering as being pressed the whole time). Screen was fine and everything. Then it had problems turning on. Hours later, when it did turn on, the screen was going. Hours after that, the screen would not turn on at all.
Please like the video and subscribe so my wife doesn't kill me...
**ADDED**
Underwater wireless charging
. Explains where the water probably came from and demonstrates the failure.
The S4 Active actually has a snap in the center of the device. Your S5 does not. Just a random tidbit.
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