S10 had a jack and an IP68 rating.

Sure, but not a battery cover.

So why did you reply to that specific post, and not its parent?

The first comment was comparable in performance (IP68), but the one I replied to, with the battery cover, was not (IP67). The point of my comment was to point out that they are not comparable. The purpose of my comment was to hint that the features from the IP67 may contribute to them being IP67 (battery cover in this case).

Still felt quite a bit like weaseling out from answering the stronger claim.

I think the problem is that you included feelings in something that was clearly technical. The comparison they were making was 1/6th the spec. It was a technically inappropriate comparison. It could only support the claim that these features were removed to increase water resistance.

The comment I made doesn't require that I push, or be for against, some higher narrative that you seem to see me as having in my head. It's perfectly valid to criticize the technical merits of an individual comment. If you see that as weaselly, then tribalism has infected your mind.