Sony unveils camera that can shoot full HD video underwater

Many cell phone owners know firsthand the heartbreak of dropping the device into water – myself included. It’s generally followed by frantically taking it apart, sticking the phone in rice, and hoping that it will ever work again.

Sony is encouraging future owners of their new Xperia ZR phone to go ahead and get it wet, though. It’s a smartphone designed to be totally submerged in the water.

The Sony Xperia ZR is the second phone in the series that can take a swim and come out just fine. The Sony Xperia Z is also designed to be water resistant. But the ZR is designed to take greater water pressure, and can be submerged in water up to 3.3 feet deep, Mashable reports.

[ Related: How to dry out a wet mobile phone ]

One of the coolest features of the camera is the ability to shoot underwater video, too. Sony released this promotional video which gives you an idea what it would look like filming footage while in the water:

Before you start leaping into the ocean with your phone, though, it should be noted that the Xperia ZR and the Xperia Z are designed for “fresh water” use. Presumably that means chlorine is okay, based on this video, but if you were thinking you’d take photos of tropical fish while snorkeling in the Caribbean, you’re out of luck.

If you’re an iPhone user and don’t want to switch to an Android device just so you can have waterproof functionality, there are also plenty of cases out there that will protect your iPhone if it ever goes for a swim – either purposely, or accidentally.

[ More Right Click: New door lock turns your iPhone into a house key ]

Aside from an increased water-resistance rating, the ZR has the same specs as the Sony Xperia Z. It has a 4.6-inch screen, 1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, a 13-megapixel camera and 2GB of RAM. The Sony Xperia ZR will be available worldwide later this year. The price is currently unannounced.

Need to know what’s hot in tech? Follow @yrightclick on Twitter!