Miraculous escape: Samsung S5 survives dirt, rain and snow for 7 months

The Korean handset-maker on Monday shared the story showing off the device’s dust and water resistance capabilities and also trying to woo customers with the real incident

This particular S5 device was misplaced by its user Bae Gyu-ryong, a 70-year man who works at a medical centre in Chungju, about 150 km southeast of Seoul

A Samsung Galaxy S5 has pulled off nothing less than a miracle by surviving for nearly seven months outdoors in a garden patch.

The Korean handset-maker on Monday shared the story showing off the device's dust and water resistance capabilities and also trying to woo customers with the real incident. The company is soon expected to launch its budget Galaxy C series in China and India as it struggles to secure and maintain meaningful market share in the largest smartphones market in the world.

This particular S5 device was misplaced by its user Bae Gyu-ryong, a 70-year man who works at a medical centre in Chungju, about 150 km southeast of Seoul. He had lost his smartphone while working in a persimmon orchard near his rural farmhouse in September last year. As the device was in silent mode, Bae was not able to locate it despite days of searching, and had to get a new handset.

Seven months later, Bae happened to find his lost Galaxy S5 while plowing the soil at the orchard. Although the device was wet on discovery after being exposed to rain and snow for seven months, Bae said the device was fully functional after he dried it out and charged it.

Since the smartphone still worked, Bae was able to recover his contacts and photos saved in the Galaxy S5.

"I was surprised to see the smartphone, which went through rain and snow, being fully functional," Bae said. "The Galaxy S5 boasts excellent waterproof features."

The Galaxy S5, released in 2014, boasted of strong durability with its IP67 dust and water resistance. Its younger sister, the Galaxy S6, did not have the capability, although Samsung included IP68-level water and dust resistance on the Galaxy S7 just released earlier this year.

With inputs from Yonhap news agency