Here’s an underwater Galaxy S8 unboxing with sharks

Because there isn’t enough madness in the world already, T-Mobile has teamed up with Samsung to do an underwater Galaxy S8 unboxing video surrounded by sharks. The video features T-Mobile Product Manager Desmond “Des” Smith unboxing and attempting to provide an overview of the Galaxy S8 while in full scuba gear.

Of course, the promo isn’t really concerned with delivering a coherent explanation of the product, but rather showing it off in a high-octane environment. It does, however, manage to effectively highlight one new aspect of the Galaxy S8 — its underwater video recording capabilities.

Historically, it has been recommended that even water-resistant smartphones aren’t operated underwater. Sony also released an underwater unboxing video for its Xperia Z3, only to later warn users against this. On its “water and dust protection” support page, Sony states: “Do not use the device to take photos while performing any type of activity underwater, including diving or snorkeling.”

This function appears to be fully operational on the Galaxy S8, however.

Of course, Samsung probably isn’t worried about people taking this unboxing video too seriously, but it does firmly indicate to customers that the S8 and S8 Plus can be used underwater. Maybe not in a shark-infested ocean, but perhaps in a swimming pool or river.

The IP68 certification that the S8 and S8 Plus have means that the devices will survive in 1.5 metres of water for 30 minutes. That said, this generally applies to fresh water — Samsung has instructions for what to do if its IP68-rated devices are exposed to any other liquid. Despite the promo, I still wouldn’t advise using Samsung’s phones in salt water.