Oneplus: Explained: Rain Water Touch feature on OnePlus phones and how it works

Smartphones have come a long way to offer high-speed charging, vibrant displays and professional camera performance. However, OEMs still need to work on solving one problem with their device screens. When consumers use their smartphones outdoors on a rainy day, the touchscreens don’t function properly when wet. To crack this issue Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus has developed a new screen that handles touch input even when the device is wet.

The company is rumoured to launch the new Ace 2 Pro smartphone on its home turf on August 16. With this smartphone, the company will introduce a new technology named the “Rain Water Touch” feature.
What is Rain Water Touch

According to a report by 9to5Google, OnePlus has showcased the upcoming Ace 2 Pro smartphone Chinese social media platform Weibo. The mid-range smartphone is equipped with a new screen technology that will allow the phone to accurately accept touch input when the screen is also being hit with water.

In the video, the OnePlus Ace 2 Pro was put to the test against an iPhone 14 Pro. The Apple phone faced trouble accurately while handling touch when the screen was wet. At times, the iPhone also completely ignored the touches while some of them were inaccurate as well. This happens with almost all smartphones and OnePlus is planning to change that.

How does it work
Most smartphone displays depend on capacitive technology to detect the user’s finger. This uses electrical conduction to detect when and where the finger hits the screen. This happens very fast.
However, when the screen is wet, that detection is affected by water as it also conducts electricity. As per the report, this design OnePlus is using (expected to be developed by Oppo) is said to be powered by unique touch algorithms and a custom chip to solve this issue.
OnePlus hasn’t announced the launch of the Ace 2 Pro in other markets yet. The phone is expected to be released outside China with a different branding. This technology is rumoured to arrive with the upcoming OnePlus 12 flagship smartphone which reportedly looks very similar to OnePlus 2 Ace Pro.