Question

One day I kept my phone in my pant pocket, I haven't opened it for a long time. My phone is covered with a plastic case. So why the phone is getting wet when I observed it after some time even though plastics are non conductive towards heat. When I kept my phone in pant pocket without the case then no wet has been observed by me on the phone Whether it is due to heat of the phone or the sweat of mine due to the heat released by the phone or the heat is mainly due to heat from the screen of the phone (as some background apps were running at the time) which is open and it is not close by any non-conductive material?

Answer 1

The wetness on your phone in a plastic case is due to moisture from sweat and lack of air circulation, causing condensation, not solely from the phone's heat or its non-conductive materials such as the screen and plastic case.

Step-by-step explanation:

The wetness on your phone when encased in a plastic case is not directly related to the heat conductivity of the plastics, but to the moisture trapped within the enclosed space. Plastics used in phone cases, like acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polycarbonate thermoplastics, are indeed non-conductive. However, these materials can prevent air circulation and thus, trap moisture from your sweat. Moreover, a running phone, with apps operating in the background, can generate heat. When the heat from the phone raises the temperature within the confined space of the pocket, it can cause the air's moisture to condense, particularly if the pocket is close to your body and thus, is warmed by body heat as well.

When your phone is without the plastic case, moisture is more likely to evaporate away, preventing the accumulation of wetness. The heat from the screen or the background applications contributes to the temperature but is less significant compared to the tight space and insulation effect of the plastic case combined with body heat and sweat.