Re: Water Resistance
I'm sure you could waterproof a book.
I'm not at all sure that people would pay for a waterproof book.
Even though I've dropped any number of books into the bath.
Sure, it's more expensive, but the scale of risk vs stupidity vs expense vs replacement isn't on the side of modern phones. To be honest, even when they say they're "resistant" that doesn't mean they'll do anything about replacing it. And you'd be better off with a non-waterproof phone and an insurance policy, most likely.
The cost-benefit isn't there. But I'd gladly buy a new phone if, for £10 extra, I could get a removable battery and headphone socket. And I'd gladly take off anything from £5 up for having it not-waterproof.
The problem manufacturers have is the stuff that makes most money and is easily do-able isn't the stuff that sells the phone. I wouldn't pay much for a waterproof phone, unless I was a sailor, and then you'll find it's probably not covered any time it does happen (and LOSING the phone in the water is much more likely).
I'd gladly pay a premium for:
headphone socket
- removeable/replaceable battery
- side microSD slot (not these under-the-battery things)
- HDMI-out (often missing on low-range phones)
- latest android version and a promise of upgrade to at least one more major version after that
- real physical buttons
- none of the tut pre-loaded on it and no forced-app-installs later
- standard microUSB charger
- a big magnet built into the back to attach to things (alright, it'd screw up the compass, I accept that)
- IR blaster (reason I stuck with S4 Mini / S5 Mini because the full version's don't have it!)
What I would gladly sacrifice in their stead / for a cheaper device:
- Fingerprint reader
- Face scanner
- VR-level 3D graphics chip
- Multiple / stupendous resolution cameras.
- Waterproofing
Modular phones really need to become a thing.