Water-resistant smartphones attracted plenty of interest last year at Mobile World Congress... and they were back this year.

UK-based P2i, which already provides a splashproof liquid repellent nano-coating for some Motorola and Alcatel mobile devices, has been showing off its forthcoming ‘Dunkable’ technology. This increases the level of protection by protecting smartphones that are submerged in water, enabling manufacturers to achieve an IPx7 (30 minutes underwater) water protection rating.

Dr Stephen Coulson, Chief Technical Officer at P2i, said “We have already proven on tens of millions of electronic devices that our everyday splashproof technology significantly reduces water ingress and dramatically increases reliability. However those needing protection against full submergence for a significant period of time, require something extra. P2i’s cutting-edge Dunkable technology provides just this by preventing long lasting corrosion and water damage. Make no mistake; this technology signals the end of extra gaskets, membranes, snubbers, clumsy plastic jack plugs and ugly watertight cases. Dunkable is IPx7 without changing the look and feel of a smartphone.”

Meanwhile rival company Liquipel announced a self-contained do-it-yourself nanocoating solution for retailers - the Liquipod Tower - and a new partnership that’ll see the creation of moisture-protected headphones in partnership with JayBird.

P2i has recently started legal proceedings against Belgian company Europlasma NV, which produces equipment that can be used for applying water-resistant nano-coatings, and claims that “Europlasma has distributed and/or sold at least one infringing system and the accompanying coating compounds to Liquipel LLC”.