This year the Galaxy A52 and Galaxy A72 became one of the first Galaxy A series phones to receive water resistance. Now if a new report coming out of South Korea is anything to go by, Samsung will be trickling down the water-resistance feature to many more affordable phones in the Galaxy A series.

According to a report from The Elec (via 9to5Google), several new Galaxy A series phones are set to get an official IP rating next year. The move will likely give Samsung a leg up over Chinese players like Xiaomi, OPPO, and Realme, which have long given Samsung tough competition in mid-range and budget segments.

Not every single model in the Galaxy A series will be getting an IP rating, though. The report notes that only the Galaxy A33 and above models will be bestowed with water resistance properties. That means the Galaxy A33, Galaxy A53, and Galaxy A73 all should come with an official IP rating for dust and water resistance.

The report reveals that Samsung will use membrane material and waterproof silicone to achieve water resistance and dust proofing. The membrane material will be applied to the microphone and speaker. Meanwhile, a rubberized silicone will be used to protect the charging port.

While IP67/68 rating has long become a key feature on higher-end flagship phones, it has yet to become commonplace among budget and mid-range phones. As OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei revealed in an interview with MKBHD, it can cost up to $15 per device to do the IP certification, so it’s understandable why most OEMs skimp out on waterproofing on affordable phones.

Earlier in September, The Elec reported that Samsung was planning to bring optical image stabilization (OIS) to all Galaxy A series phones launching in 2022.

Samsung hasn't officially confirmed whether it plans to offer water resistance and OIS on upcoming Galaxy A phones.

Featured image: leaked render of the Galaxy A53 (via OnLeaks)