Ever wondered what would happen if you left your precious smartphone out in the wild, unattended and at the mercy of the elements for several months? Probably never see it survive the ordeal right?

A South Korean however, has a different story to tell. Bae Gyu-ryong from Chungiu - a 70-year-old man who works at a medical center - misplaced his Samsung Galaxy S5 while in a persimmon orchard near his farmhouse in September 2015. Since the smartphone was in the silent mode, Bae was unable to locate the missing handset even after several days of futile search.

Bae then finally gave up and purchased a new handset. Flash-forward to April 2016 and Bae was plowing the soil in his orchard when he stumbles upon his lost Galaxy S5! Surprisingly, even after seven months of being in extreme conditions, the smartphone is completely functional.

The handset was wet when Bae discovered it, because it was exposed to snow and rain. However, the Galaxy S5 works properly, once Bae dried the unit and charged its battery. Happily enough for Bae, since the smartphone is still operating well, he was able to recover his saved photos and contacts as well.

How did the Galaxy S5, which was released in 2014 survive the harsh conditions, you wonder? Because the handset is the first flagship from Samsung to support water and dust resistance.

It is IP67 certified (unlike successor Galaxy S6) and as a result, is protected against dust and up to 1 meter of water for half an hour. However, as Bae's story reveals, the smartphone seems to be more robust than what the certification estimates because it survived harsh outdoor conditions for seven months!

On April 18, Samsung Electronics came forward to acknowledge the Galaxy S5's feat, which proves that the smartphone is durable and lives up to its promise of being dust and water resistant.

As for Bae, he was pleased as punch and shared that he was "was surprised to see the smartphone, which went through rain and snow, being fully functional."

"The Galaxy S5 boasts excellent waterproof features," said Bae.

Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns | Flickr