The reason laptops arent waterproof is that there are many ways the water can get into the chassis of a laptop which makes it harder to waterproof.
The keyboard, the cooling vents, the speaker grills, etc, are some of the ways the water can seep inside the laptop chassis, causing the motherboard to be short.
Making the laptop waterproof means somehow covering up these holes through which water can get inside. Which can get in the way of laptops’ basic functionality.
Why it’s hard to waterproof a Laptop
Cooling
You can’t remove cooling fans on a laptop and try to cool it passively, I am not saying it’s impossible, I am saying it’s not feasible, as most laptops come with power-hungry CPUs that require active cooling, which automatically involves a fan.
Phones and tablets are all cooled passively, and it’s one of the reasons why most of them are splashproof, at the very least. But it would be hard to find a laptop with a similar configuration.
Mechanical parts inside the Laptop
The existence of mechanical parts is one of the many reasons why laptops are hard to waterproof.
Though we have managed to get away from hard drives and move towards solid-state storage, one very important aspect of computers is still mechanical, that is, cooling fans.
Even if you manage to waterproof the entire laptop’s motherboard, you can’t waterproof a fan. And if water manages to get into a fan, a short circuit is inevitable at best, and it could also potentially fry your motherboard, taking it down with it in the process.
So as long as fans can get waterproof or we manage to find some other way to cool a laptop, it’s hard to waterproof a laptop.
Increases Production cost of the Laptop
Making a laptop waterproof means investing R&D into making a laptop waterproof, getting it through testing, and then getting it certified. All of this would add up significantly to the overall cost of producing the laptop, which could end up forcing the manufacturers to raise the price.
This would ultimately harm the competitiveness of the manufacturer as they would then have to price the laptop higher in an already fierce and competitive market.
Due to this, manufacturers just don’t bother waterproofing their laptops.
You don’t really need a Laptop that’s waterproof
The truth is many of us use laptops in areas where water is less likely to exist in a harmful way.
And the majority of users use their laptops on the desk, where water is less likely to exist. Unless you keep a glass of water near there, even so, the probability of someone spilling water over their laptop is quite low, so manufacturers just don’t bother with it.
Though if you are someone who is clumsy and manages to spill water every now and then, then you are not really out of luck.
Laptops with spillproof keyboards
Though making the entire laptop waterproof are impossible, you could still make certain parts waterproof.
To address the common liquid spill on the keyboard, some manufacturers have managed to make a spillproof laptop keyboard.
This means that if you manage to spill something over the laptop, there is a little drain hole at the bottom of the laptop, through which anything that is spilled is drained away.
Some of the laptops are the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 360, The Asus Vivobook 14; if you want something cheaper, or if you want a Chromebook, you can get something like the Acer Chromebook Spin 314.
Rugged Laptops Exist
There are some conditions where a laptop that can withstand any abuse is necessary. And to address that concern, many manufacturers have also produced rugged laptops.
These laptops are not for the general consumers, and they are mostly intended for special use cases such as military, conducting research in tough climate conditions, etc. And such laptops are also usually sold to enterprises, research centers or governments.
Examples of such laptops would be the Panasonic Toughbook, a Getac B300, and if you want something on the cheaper side, you can get an Acer Enduro Urban N3.
FAQs
Is a Laptop ruined if it gets wet?
In most cases, your laptop can get ruined if you end up spilling any liquid. Not only might the laptop get shorted, but any liquid might also corrode the internals, which can cause serious damage.
However, if you manage to cut the power on time by disconnecting the battery, the damage can be mitigated, but since modern laptops have their batteries on the inside, it’s hard to do that.
But hey, the good old bag of rice trick can save your laptop.
Can I put my Laptop in the bathroom while I shower?
You can put your laptop in the bathroom while taking a shower. However, it’s not recommended. This is because when you are taking a shower, your bathroom is highly humid. This can not only rust the internals of your laptop, but it can also shorten it possibly.
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