Best answer: No. The OnePlus 7T bears no official IP rating for water or dust resistance, and while the company claims its phones are water resistant to some extent, water damage isn't covered under the 7T's warranty.
- Incredible value flagship: OnePlus 7T ($599 at OnePlus)
- Keep it safe: Nite Ize RunOff Waterproof Pouch ($25 at Amazon)
Cutting costs by any means possible
The OnePlus 7T is easily one of the best values you can find on a flagship phone, offering the best silicon currently on the market, a huge display with a 90Hz refresh rate that makes scrolling and animations look buttery smooth, and the ever-popular OxygenOS on top of Android 10 — all for hundreds less than some of the competition. But that aggressive pricing means you have to compromise somewhere, and one feature that's noticeably missing from the 7T's spec sheet is water resistance.
Most water resistant phones come with what's called an Ingress Protection rating, or IP rating for short. You've likely seen labels like IP67, IP68, and IPX7 used on a wide variety of phones; each rating denotes different levels of protection against hazards like water and dust that could potentially damage your phone.
IP certification would have added around $30 to the overall cost of OnePlus phones.
While the OnePlus 7T doesn't officially bear an IP rating, the company asserts that the phone is still water resistant to some degree. OnePlus even published a video alongside the release of the 7 Pro demonstrated its phone falling into a bucket of water, explaining that the IP rating certification process costs money. Cofounder Carl Pei claimed the process would've added $30 to the cost of the 7 Pro, and it's safe to assume the same would be true of the 7T.
In other words, the OnePlus 7T should (in theory) be fine if it happens to get splashed or even briefly submerged ... but water resistance isn't guaranteed, nor is water damage covered by the phone's warranty. And while some phones are able to continue functioning weeks or even months after an accidental submersion, any small amount of water that may have found its way inside your phone may have lasting damage on the internal components.
So while the OnePlus 7T is technically water resistent to some degree, your best bet is to keep the phone away from water whenever possible. That's a good rule of thumb in general; even IP certification doesn't guarantee water resistance, and in most cases, water damage isn't covered under warranty, even for IP-rated phones.
If you absolutely must bring the OnePlus 7T near water, consider buying a waterproof accessory to protect it from possible ingress. While the phone is a bit too new to have a selection of waterproof cases available, there are universal products like the Nite Ize RunOff waterproof pouch that you can seal the phone inside of to keep water from getting in.
The very best phone $600 can buy.
From the 90Hz display to the top-tier specs and the lightning-fast OxygenOS over Android 10, the OnePlus 7T is by far and away the best phone in its price range. It lacks official water resistance (along with wireless charging), but by all other measures it's a fantastic device.
A universal waterproof pouch to keep water out.
While there aren't any waterproof cases or pouches made specifically for the OnePlus 7T just yet, you can seal the phone inside of a universal pouch like the Nite Ize RunOff to keep water from getting inside. As a bonus, this works for other products like headphones, as well.
