Skip to main content

Guy dunks a ‘naked’ iPhone X to make a whimsical underwater movie

Spltch

A water-resistant smartphone offers peace of mind when you need to pull it out in the rain. It’s positively vital if you drop it down the toilet or in the bath, though its protective qualities also enhance the possibilities for those of a creative bent.

Take Frederic van Strydonck. The London-based filmmaker recently decided to have some fun with his iPhone X, Apple’s flagship handset that’s capable of surviving dips of up to 30 minutes in shallow water.

Frederic said that initially he just wanted to test out the phone’s ability to handle multiple dunks while shooting short video clips. But he soon realized that the dreamy sequences he created could make for an interesting short film.

“I recently decided to see how an iPhone would fare when filming underwater,” Frederic told PetaPixel. “The series of tests slowly became this weird little experimental short.”

He added: “I didn’t use any special waterproof casing for this. Just an iPhone.”

The result is Spltch, a two-and-a-half-minute movie (above) that he describes as “a little film about water.”

The whimsical short that takes the viewer to multiple locations, a new one revealed as the camera emerges from each subsequent dunk.

But before you rush out and dive into the nearest lake, river or ocean with your iPhone X, be aware that intentionally submerging the device may not be the best course of action for your $999 phone.

Its water resistance has been tested to a depth of one meter, and Frederic is keen to point out that while shooting the film, he erred on the side of caution by submerging only a part of the phone for each shot, and was sure not to leave it underwater for long periods.

In other words, putting Apple’s high-end phone underwater for longer than necessary is really done at your own risk.

With the iPhone X costing as much as it does, the fact is you’ll want to get yourself a durable case to protect it from knocks and drops, though some cases also offer increased protection against splashes and dunks, too. Digital Trends has pulled together a collection of some of the best iPhone X cases available today, with price tags ranging from as little as $4 all the way up to $175.

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
This is the iPhone concept of my dreams
iPhone concept mimicking iPad Pro desgn.

It’s an odd day to be talking about iPhone design. Yesterday, Apple delivered what can be called the pinnacle of tablet aesthetics with the 2024 iPad Pro, which is even slimmer than the iPod Nano. Today, Bloomberg reports that Duncan Kerr -- a design executive from the legendary Jony Ive group and was a key figure behind the iPhone, iPad, and Mac products since 1999 -- is leaving the company.

It’s a great loss for Apple and disheartening news for iPhone enthusiasts. Apple almost seems obsessed with the design language it introduced with the iPhone 11 series. And if recent leaks are any indication, we are going back to the iPhone X days with the non-Pro iPhone 16 models later this year.

Read more
A big iPhone update is right around the corner
An iPhone 15 Pro Max sitting upright, showing one of its home screens.

With announcements for 2024 models of the iPad Air and iPad Pro, today's been a busy day of Apple news. But the iPad isn't the only Apple product in the news today. Following the big announcements from its event earlier this morning, Apple also shared some important news regarding the next iPhone update.

As of Tuesday, May 7, Apple has begun rolling out RC builds for iOS 17.5. RC stands for "Release Candidate," and it's the last beta version of a software update that Apple releases before its final public rollout. In other news, the official iOS 17.5 update should be right around the corner.

Read more
I found an amazing new way to use my iPhone 15 Pro Max
The back of a Natural Titanium iPhone 15 Pro Max.

When Apple announced the iPhone 15 Pro series last September, there was one feature I was more excited about than anything else: the Action button. Gone was the useless ring/silent slider. In its place was a button we could customize to our exact liking.

I've been using the Action button on my iPhone 15 Pro Max ever since I got it, and for the last few months, it's been programmed to open the camera app. It's convenient, but it's also nothing particularly exciting. Recently, though, I found a new and unexpected way to use my iPhone's Action button — and it's kind of blowing my mind.
Supercharging the Action button

Read more