Yes, the iPhone 4 is broken / No, the iPhone 4 is not broken

The controversy over the iPhone 4's antenna issues continues to grow, particularly after Consumer Reports confirmed yesterday that every iPhone 4 suffers from signal attenuation when the phone is held with the lower left corner covered -- a report that we confirmed with results from our own custom signal metering app. At this point, there's no longer any question in our minds that the iPhone 4's antenna can be made to lose signal by holding it "wrong" -- and we definitely think it's more than a little silly that simply holding the phone in your left hand has been nicknamed the "death grip."

That said, however, it's not at all clear what the real-world effects of the antenna issue actually are for most people -- as we've repeatedly said, several iPhone 4s owned by the Engadget staff (including our review unit) have never experienced so much as a single dropped call, while others suffer from signal issues that results in lost calls and unresponsive data in a dramatic way. What's more, at this point Apple's sold well over two million iPhone 4s, and we simply haven't heard the sort of outcry from users that we'd normally hear if a product this high-profile and this popular had a showstopping defect. Honestly, it's puzzling -- we know that the phone has an antenna-related problem, but we're simply not able to say what that issue actually means for everyday users.

So we're doing what we can do: we've collected reports from every member of the Engadget staff who's using the phone, as well as reached out to a variety of tech industry colleagues for their experiences. As you'll see, most of our peers seem to be doing perfectly fine with their iPhone 4s, but the people who are having problems are having maddening issues in an inconsistent way. We'd say it all comes down to the network -- particularly in New York City, where AT&T just completed a major upgrade -- but even that isn't a consistent factor in predicting experience. Ultimately, we just won't know what's really going on until Apple comes clean and addresses this issue (and the growing PR nightmare it's become), but for now we can say with some certainty that not everyone is affected, and those that are seem to be in the minority. Read on for the full report.

Engadget

Joshua Topolsky (Brooklyn): "Having reviewed the phone before the general launch, I've been on high alert about the issues being reported from the start. While there are clearly problems with other people's devices, I can't seem to replicate the experience with the phone I have. I've been using the phone for about a month now without any notable reception or data rate issues -- no matter where I hold the device. In testing for our review (which you can read here) I found the reception to be as good if not better than the previous version, and I had far fewer dropped calls. That hasn't changed in the weeks since the review was posted, and though I can get the signal to show attenuation in Erica Sadun's app if I really squeeze the phone in the left corner, I cannot get it to drop a call or show a notable impact on data up- or downstream. At this point, I cannot even remember the last time I had a dropped call."

I've definitely dropped a number of calls and experienced slow data rates when holding the phone with the antennas bridged. Nilay Patel

Nilay Patel (Chicago): "As seen on the video we posted yesterday, my iPhone 4 exhibits the issue quite readily when I hold it 'wrong' -- I've definitely dropped a number of calls and experienced slow data rates when holding the phone with the antennas bridged. And I'm left-handed with pretty big hands, so unless I'm careful it's a regular problem for me. However, it's not always perfectly consistent, and sometimes I have no problems at all regardless of how I hold the phone."

Chris Ziegler (Chicago): "I use an AT&T 3G MicroCell in my home, and when I'm connected to that, I'm unable to drop a call or observe any drop in bars no matter how hard I grip the antenna gap. When I'm elsewhere in the city, it's a different story -- gripping the phone the 'wrong' way regularly drops me anywhere from three to five (all) bars, occasionally drops a call (or prevents me from making one to begin with) and tends to drop me from 3G to EDGE or GPRS. Then again, I've seen that same behavior happen barely touching the phone at all. Bottom line, it's hard to tell how much of the problem is my grip, and how much is the network just being lame."

I've still yet to drop a call on the thing. Not one. To be fair though, I'm kind of a loser, and nobody calls me. Laura June

Laura June (Brooklyn): "I cannot get the phone to consistently visually drop bars -- in fact, for about the first week, I couldn't even get the technique at all. I have, however, figured out a way to get it to occasionally drop a bar here or there if I hold it just right, and only then in certain places inside my apartment. That said, I've still yet to drop a call on the thing. Not one. To be fair though, I'm kind of a loser, and nobody calls me."

Richard Lai (London): "Well, what can I say. My heart died a little when the team asked me to verify this 'feature' on my then-spanking new iPhone 4, not to mention that I was still recovering from our all-nighter on Regent Street. Three weeks onwards, I can still replicate the signal drop in certain areas in London. Of course, there's always the £25 cure for us Brits, but I really can't stand having the bumper rubbing against my pocket every time I withdraw or pocket my iPhone -- it would easily slip in without the case."

Vlad Savov (London): "I've dropped bars and data rate while operating the phone indoors with the appropriate flesh connection established between my iPhone 4's antennae. Irritatingly, I've noticed that you don't even need to bridge the full width of the iPhone: making contact with the literal edge of the handset is sometimes enough, making this form of self-harm almost inevitable. However, stepping outside my bunker-like apartment, I was unable to replicate the problem thanks to the stronger 3G signal available outdoors. I've only ever dropped one call, and it was indoors after intentionally squeezing the glass and steel sandwich to try and produce that outcome. Ultimately, were I to go bumperless, I imagine I'd suffer for it with my 3G web browsing the most, followed by lost calls a distant second. For reference, I've not been able to miss a call while death-gripping the phone and reducing its bar signage to just the last one -- they all come through."

Ross Miller (San Francisco): "When I first got the device, there was no way I could recreate this issue. I tried and tried and, surprising for the city, my signal appeared full and my calls dropped less often (but not entirely). Data speeds were more often than not faster than my previous iPhone 3G -- frankly, I was a bit dumbfounded by my perceived luck.

It's not affecting me day-to-day, but I can most assuredly recreate the problem. 'Inconsistent, troubling' might be the more apt description in my case. Ross Miller

Cut to about a week ago, I was in a new part of town in the back of a bar with apparent full reception, and I decided to give Erica Sadun's signal strength app another go. Bingo. Holding the phone southpaw-style would quickly kill reception, calls would drop, data would drip. So no, it's not affecting me day-to-day, but I can most assuredly recreate the problem. 'Inconsistent, troubling' might be the more apt description in my case."

Myriam Joire (San Francisco): "I own an iPhone 4 delivered by AT&T on launch day. I use it without a case and I do see a reduction in signal strength when I cover the antenna gap at the bottom left corner with my hand. That being said, it's not causing dropped calls or degrading data performance to the point where it affects my use of the device."

Michael Gartenberg (New Jersey): "I've been using iPhone 4 as my main phone since release. I've had no issues with dropped calls or loss of data beyond what I normally get with any other phone. If anything, I get better reception in places that used to be problematic. I have seen my signal go up and down a bit but i can't replicate it or cause it to occur on demand nor does it seem to affect my normal use of the phone."

Ross Rubin (New York City): "Overall, I'd say the iPhone 4's reception has outperformed its predecessor. I've been able to make the signal drop by touching the gap only once in a location where I was getting about 2-3 bars, although I've tried it many times. In general it hasn't seemed to matter how I hold the phone when I'm on calls. I was pleasantly surprised when the iPhone held on to a call as I took a cab through New York's Midtown Tunnel soon after its launch, but in a similar trip the other day it dropped a call three times."

Sam Sheffer (Manalapan, New Jersey): Besides the fact that my first iPhone 4 had overheating issues and was replaced, my new handset works fine -- it's way better that my 3GS, at least, in terms of reception. Yes, I can make the bars drop when I touch the lower left antenna, but I have yet to actually drop a call while holding the phone in 'death grip' position. And I honestly don't mind holding it in a different way to avoid messing with the antenna -- I've simply adjusted the way I hold the phone and the issue's gone away."

Industry notables:

David Pogue, New York Times (New York City): "I've held the phone in the forbidden position maybe 25 times, in different locations, and I've only ever seen the bars drop twice. I think it's heavily dependent on where you are and how the signal strength is. (And once, I saw the bars go UP...)

I agree with the consensus that reception is generally better than on the older iPhones -- even with the Death Grip issue. David Pogue

Overall, though, I agree with the consensus that reception is generally better than on the older iPhones -- even with the Death Grip issue."

Harry McCracken, Technologizer (San Francisco): "My experience has been inconsistent -- when I've intentionally tried to degrade speed by touching the lower left-hand corner I've sometimes seen an impact, and sometimes I haven't. And when I've been out and about making phone calls, I've often been impressed by the phone's audio quality.

But yesterday I was in an area which I know has iffy AT&T reception, and my iPhone 4 was an utter basket case -- until I intentionally held it by the upper right-hand corner. When I did that, it worked perfectly.

My conclusion: The antenna design helps in many situations, but it can be a major real-world problem if you're in an area with iffy AT&T reception and aren't careful about how you hold the phone." (Make sure you check out Harry's full post on the his issues at Technologizer, as well)

John Paczkowski, All Things Digital (Marin County, California): "Though I've tried, I can't reproduce the 'death grip' on the iPhone 4 I'm using. That said, I do see some attenuation when holding it from the bottom. I haven't noticed an increase in dropped calls."

I'm able to make the signal drop (via the bar display) on my iPhone 4, but I can't get a call to drop. Jacqui Cheng

Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica (Chicago): "I'm able to make the signal drop (via the bar display) on my iPhone 4, but I can't get a call to drop. Calls seem totally fine, and I haven't had any problems at all when using the phone as a phone. When I can get the bars to drop, I can get them to go down to almost nothing."

Chris Foresman, Ars Technica (Chicago): "I haven't had any issue with my iPhone 4 with respect to reception -- it's as good or better in my westside apartment as it was with my 3G."

John Gruber, Daring Fireball (Philadelphia): "At home in Philly, I've had nothing but good reception, no matter how I hold the phone. Data performance is better than on a 3GS right next to it, even while holding the 4 with my skin bridging the infamous gap.

I've either got lucky skin or a lucky iPhone 4, I think. John Gruber

I spent the last few days on a vacation in Vegas, and coverage here has been spottier, varying wildly even between different areas of our hotel. The phone often shows only 2 or 3 bars, but everything still works. Data has been slow -- especially latency, but it didn't seem any different on my wife's 3GS. A few times when I've only had two or three bars, I've tried the 'finger on the spot' test to see what happens. Sometimes it dropped down to a single bar within 30 seconds. Sometimes nothing happened at all. One time it went up from 3 bars to 5 bars while I had my finger on the spot, and when I took my finger off, it went back down to 3 bars. But even out here with meager coverage, I haven't been able to make data stop working just by 'holding it wrong'.

I've either got lucky skin or a lucky iPhone 4, I think."

Anand Shimpi, Anandtech (Raleigh, North Carolina): "I can make the signal drop, but that's not because I'm some sort of superhero - anyone can make the signal drop on their iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, Nexus One, etc... The iPhone 4 simply drops "more of its signal" than other phones, depending on how you hold it, because of the location and design of the antenna.

So to summarize, yes I can make the signal drop and it has led to dropped calls or trouble continuing the call. It's particularly bad in my office if I hold the phone "incorrectly" while texting or using the phone in portrait mode for something else. Luckily I'm on WiFi when I'm using it like that so it's normally not as big of an issue.

Ultimately it is a real problem with the iPhone 4 and will impact those who have borderline AT&T network coverage more than those who have great coverage. When Apple pushes this new fix forward it's really going to show people whether they have good signal or bad signal where they live (hopefully)." (Make sure you check out Anandtech's full report on the signal issue, as well.)

I have regularly dropped calls and watched data grind to a halt when I am in an area with poor AT&T signal, but when the signal is fairly decent I have no problems at all. Dieter Bohn

Dieter Bohn, PreCentral (Miami): "I have regularly dropped calls and watched data grind to a halt when I am in an area with poor AT&T signal, but when the signal is fairly decent I have no problems at all. I'm using the bumper now and it's completely solved my problems, but I'm not fond of it."

Noah Kravitz, PhoneDog (Oakland): "Yes to dropped calls. On par or probably fewer than with 3GS, but I know for sure there have been quite a few 4-to-4 drops recently. Have definitely noticed a few left-hand drops, but haven't yet been able to correlate for sure. Also because some of the drops have been of the Proximity Sensor bug variety."

Eric Zeman, PhoneScoop (Rockaway, New Jersey): "Even with just one bar during a death grip, I was able to successfully make calls, send emails, and browse the web. I use a case. With the case on, there's no change in signal performance whatsoever."

Lance Ulanoff, PC Mag (New York City): "Like others in this survey, I've been carrying around an iPhone 4 for nearly a month. In my other pocket is a BlackBerry Bold 9000. Both are on AT&T. A network we found to be the fastest for mobile broadband in the nation. It's also the least consistent. So my crummy connectivity experience on the iPhone 4 is virtually mirrored on the BlackBerry Bold-a device which has consistently dropped calls for me in my home town from the moment I got it. The point is, as a pure voice phone the iPhone 4 is not the best device on the market.

My experience with the device remains as it ever was. I've been entranced with it from day one. I make calls and, when I have a good signal, I stay connected. I've literally never had a dropped call. Yes, I can recreate the 'death grip,' but only when I'm holding the phone away from my head -- and not making a call. That said, I probably do more texting, email, photo and video than I do actual calling on this phone. I wouldn't be surprised if that's what the 1.7 million other iPhone 4 owners also do. I'm not saying there's no fire near this smoke, but I'm still convinced that if this were a deal-breaking problem, Apple stores around the world would be filled with people trying to return their iPhone 4's. That isn't happening, is it?"

Ryan Block, gdgt (San Francisco): "I'll preface my experiences by confessing that in a bizarre and quite unexpected turn of events, for the first time in many years AT&T has apparently begun adding new cell sites to my fair city (starting right around the time of the iPhone 4's launch). So it's been an occasional challenge to determine whether changes in performance and reliability are due to the new phone.

The issue undermines your confidence in the device, leading to a kind of idle paranoia that at any moment a call may drop if I'm not holding the phone just the right way. Ryan Block

But what I can say for sure is that I've been able to reliably and easily replicate the death grip, especially in areas where coverage isn't fantastic (which, around these parts is still much of the city). The death grip seems to have less effect (or no effect) in areas with solid coverage, but I'd say one of the worst aspects is how the issue undermines your confidence in the device, leading to a kind of idle paranoia that at any moment a call may drop or an email won't go through if I'm not holding the phone in just the right way."

Mark Spoonauer, Laptop (New York City): "I've experienced a few dropped calls on the iPhone 4 thus far (mostly in the Lincoln tunnel and at the Jersey Shore) but as we said in our review the reception has improved overall for both voice and data. Then again, I don't hold the phone with my left hand much. To test the severity of the 'death grip' issue we ran Speedtest.net while in our office while holding the device in our left hand and with the iPhone 4 sitting on a desk. With the death grip we averaged 225.9 Kbps downloads and 17.1 Kbps uploads over 10 tests. And just sitting on a desk we averaged 634.9 Kbps down and 49 Kbps down. Not good."

[Jack Posted Jul 13th 2010 7:21PM]

@BogartOfElcajon

Are you stupid or something? They are telling you what happens in a variety of situations. They're not saying everybody lives in an area with good reception. Seriously, did you read the article at all?

"Covering for Apple"... Jesus, I think commenters are actually getting dumber.

[BogartOfElcajon Posted Jul 13th 2010 7:30PM]

@Jack

I agree with you about commenter are getting dumber and dumber. Just like you. You can read but you can't understand. There's definitely cover up about this whole damn thing, and if you can't understand that, I wouldn't be surprise.

Here's a hint: If don't like the comments of the commenters, then stop reading them. Get a job or go play outside.

[SolidSnake Posted Jul 13th 2010 5:30PM]

You got a phone in my brick! You got a brick in my phone!

[MMMMM Posted Jul 13th 2010 5:35PM]

@SolidSnake All those people who have no reception problems must have hands made of plastic. Yes, Joshua is a cyborg. Yep.

[Xtole Posted Jul 13th 2010 5:36PM]

Man, talk about beating a dead horse Engadget. We know the issues going on with the iPhone, we've read about it in the last 100 posts about the iPhone.

[encler Posted Jul 13th 2010 5:37PM]

@SolidSnake wow, all I can say

[His Dudeness Posted Jul 13th 2010 5:38PM]

did not expect anything else from john gruber

[Failbait Posted Jul 13th 2010 5:40PM]

@SolidSnake

Let me summarize the entire year: " iPhone iPhone iPhone iPhone iPhone iTunes iads iapps iPod iPad iMac ipod iPhone ipeople iworld icar itable iBook isalad ibrunch"


Etc.

[Donloki Posted Jul 13th 2010 5:40PM]

How many of those 2 million people use their iphones without covers.. And how many of those people are used to dropped calls on AT&T and aren't experiencing anything beyond the status quo.. I know a few iphone 4 owners and one thing I do not hear are comments on improved reception either.



*shrug*

[Sheldon Posted Jul 13th 2010 5:44PM]

@Xtole
I don't think it's Engadget flogging the proverbial dead-horse so much as not being thorough in their investigation. The consumer report was at least showing that it was real, it's just it wasn't translated into what users will notice. From the various reports from all the different Engadget users, there seems to be a strong correlation depending upon the signal reception (type of phone aside). If it was a marginal area then knocking a few dB off the aerial will cause it to drop the line but if the reception was strong already then even dropping quite a lot of dB will result in no *user* difference because there is still enough signal for the line to stay.
For a better demonstration as to where the fault lies, you need two phones: one that has demonstrated the problem (say Nilay's) and one that is so awesome that it will never miss a beat (perhaps Joshua's). Then take them to the same place (as in within feet of each other) and try the same, with the same person (moisture/softness of skin can also make a big difference in conductivity to the aerial).

[Mike10010100 Posted Jul 13th 2010 5:46PM]

@MMMMM

The inconsistent results are most likely caused by different levels of skin conductivity and different signal strength.

The fact is, every iPhone loses about -20 db every time the gap is bridged. The fact that Apple denies this makes it worse.

But if you're sitting on top of a cell tower (I'm exaggerating here) then you're not going to notice this.

Again: your PERSONAL mileage may vary, but there IS a problem, it is systemic to the design of the device, and denying this hardware flaw won't do anything to help the matter. It will make you look biased and faithful to Apple. That goes the same for claiming that it will be fixed with a software update. (HighestRanked2)

[crbphd Posted Jul 13th 2010 5:46PM]

I dropped 4 calls during the same conversation in walking in Boston. Each time the calls dropped I had the phone in my left hand.

I think most people forget that cell phones are also a lifeline if you are in an emergency. Lets say you cut your right hand and need to call 911 with your left. Are you going to bleed to death because you can't use the iPhone with the left hand?

[statickeith Posted Jul 13th 2010 5:48PM]

@SolidSnake There clearly are reception issues. If apple says that iPhone displays more bars than it should, it still means that it would loose bars when u hold it the "wrong" way even after fixing it in iOS update. the design of the antenna sure was good but it has its flaws.

[RhymeMaster Posted Jul 13th 2010 5:55PM]

@encler
That's what she said.

[NiKoLaSm Posted Jul 13th 2010 5:57PM]

My coworker has one and while it doesn't seem to have attenuation issues, the glass back already has a crack through it. Whoever thought that was a good idea?

The whole point is that Apple absolutely needs to provide a free band for every owner, not charge them $29 for a 10 cent piece of rubber.

[SolidSnake Posted Jul 13th 2010 5:59PM]

@yankdez
Wow, just wow. Get a brain (and a life).
And to all the others complaining; people complained because engadget didn't do a more thourough investigation; now they have.

This is why we can't have nice things.

[profgaylord Posted Jul 13th 2010 5:59PM]

@crbphd

this is a VERY important point. i use a "help me, i've fallen and can't get up" personal alarm system in my home which require a land line but i can have a medical emergency anywhere and so a cellphone which is suseptible to dropped calls is simply not an option for me, or many other handicapped or ill persons. too bad since Apple was a leader in making computers accessible for people like me.

[BallastatuzX Posted Jul 13th 2010 6:01PM]

@MMMMM They right it only happens where AT&T service sucks I live in the Inland Empire in California and haven't had any dropped calls and data had been way faster. At&t's service is great here.

[normanb20 Posted Jul 13th 2010 6:01PM]

@Mike10010100
Do you think it has anything to do with skin oils? Maybe humidity?

[iKid Posted Jul 13th 2010 6:04PM]

@Failbait Um Engadget created an Apple-less Engadget for you. And you're still complaining?

[Mike10010100 Posted Jul 13th 2010 6:12PM]

@normanb20

I completely agree. Default signal strength, personal skin type, weather, humidity, all could easily affect the unit.

This has been proven using a bit of metal to bridge the gap. There are YouTube videos of this.

The plural of anecdote is not data. The same proverb holds true for Engadget editors/ writers.

[iPhone13 Posted Jul 13th 2010 6:13PM]

@crbphd If you smart enough you would use speaker you brick. Stop coplainimgabout something you haven't own. If it was a real problem we would have at least one million customers complain about this problem but I guess this is a campaing from htc trying to take advantage of apples and att. Other cellphones companies don't have to deal with over 10'000.000 iPhones grabbing signal all the time. Of course it's gonna drop some call. Try to connect 10 computers to the same router and use them all at the same time. Would that answer some people questions????? Evo's fanboy and droid fanboys are the one complaining about iPhone not us the real owners

[MicrosoftOwns Posted Jul 13th 2010 6:16PM]

@SolidSnake

i thought all these posts by engadget on the issue is because theyre in denial.

[Ziv Posted Jul 13th 2010 6:20PM]

@SolidSnake
"I found a huge design flaw in my new iPhone. People get angry when I talk on it during a funeral." - Conan O'brien.

You guys are missing the point of the article! We have come to an agreement that we lose about 20db when doing the death grip but most people who are affected are new yorkers on AT&T's crappy network!
Most people get almost full bars when they are in a big city and they don't have iPhone overflow which causes network stress.
BUT the internet is a special place where if 2% of the product users are having a problem then 20% of the internet users create 80% of the internet's buzz and comments regarding the device.

[Dig Deep Posted Jul 13th 2010 6:23PM]

@SolidSnake

Wow this reception thing is really snowballing. I think Apple should officially make a statement about what they'll do.

[Nanosman1994 Posted Jul 13th 2010 6:24PM]

@Xtole i could not agree more

[DefPoet Posted Jul 13th 2010 6:25PM]

@BallastatuzX
Engadget is full of crap
Blaming ATT is a escapegoat. IPhone 4s all over the world have this problem. It has nothing to do with ATT. If the phone displayed the signal correctly people would not expect everything to be peaches and cream. Apple ducked up. The phone is sexy as hell but has a design flaw that needs to be fixed. Add some insulation an be done. ATTs network is fine.
a blackberry bold next to a iPhone will show you this. every iPhone model has had problems with signal but none of the blackberries do hell no one has complained of signal issues with their android phones either. Apple is new to the cell phone industry and do not have experience with cellar radios. also they wanted to prove that they do everything better so they decided not to use proven methods. which is also a reason Nokia is suing them. It is impossible to make a cell phone with out paying either Motorola or Nokia due to them pioneering the current standards

[MicrosoftOwns Posted Jul 13th 2010 6:29PM]

@SolidSnake

this article allows us to see which writer is a blind fanboy that denies such a glaring issue exists...

never again will I believe anything joshua and laura say.

[Psyclotr0n Posted Jul 13th 2010 6:31PM]

@Failbait
Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich!!

[bbqbspareribs Posted Jul 13th 2010 6:36PM]

@SolidSnake

This is probably what Apple did for field testing.

[Ezye1313 Posted Jul 13th 2010 6:41PM]

@Failbait
It's a tech blog. Get over it, no one says you have to visit this page.

[Spongecake Posted Jul 13th 2010 6:43PM]

Someone is going to make a lot of money selling a $20 little tube of transparent epoxy and a little brush to paint over the antenna gap.

Holy crap, what am I doing telling all of you? This idea is now copyrighted (c). Am I rich yet?

[DefPoet Posted Jul 13th 2010 6:47PM]

@yankdez
And I've posted close to 2000 times in the past three years. What's ur point. Posting a lot is fine. Along as you do not post 10 times in every article

[XChrisX Posted Jul 13th 2010 6:47PM]

@SolidSnake The problem I have is that every time this issue is brought up, it is assumed from the get go and stated with firm authority, that EVERYONE is having a reception issue. If you try stating otherwise, then people go on a huge rant about how you're wrong, etc...The bottom line is that my iPhone 4 works as advertised, with or without a case/bumper.

[Ignoramus Posted Jul 13th 2010 6:47PM]

@iPhone13 omfg why isnt this guy banned from fucking life

[ThreeDee912 Posted Jul 13th 2010 6:52PM]

@DefPoet

So quoting a bunch of reputable (and some less than) people makes Engadget blame AT&T?

[Etnies419 Posted Jul 13th 2010 6:52PM]

You act as if there's only one way to hold the phone in your left hand. There are many ways you can shift the positioning of your hand to keep from bridging the antenna. Of course, this certainly is a problem, and desperately needs to be fixed. But the way some people are going crazy over it makes me wonder if they have anything better to do with their lives.

[Gazoobee Posted Jul 13th 2010 6:53PM]

@Mike10010100 : great post, but for the record this part:
"The fact is, every iPhone loses about -20 db every time the gap is bridged." ... has already been disproven. The number comes from the CR test, but two different signal/antenna engineers have stated that their test could not possibly determine this.

So we don't even know that!

Personally I just wish someone with half a brain would do definitive, exhaustive tests on this. Most of the problem is that 80% of what you hear about the problem is total BS.

[nal licker Posted Jul 13th 2010 6:54PM]

@iPhone13
I'm a real iPhone 4 owner, with real drop calls and data. Not as much to make a big impact, but I admit there's a problem. But it is Apple not admitting to its design flaw that makes me want to return the phone.

[Lithium98 Posted Jul 13th 2010 7:06PM]

It's surprising to see a company can sell 2 million units of a defective product without sparking outrage by those who purchased it. When the Prius was running amok, people were pissed and either wanted their cars fixed or wanted their money back. Toyota said from the begining it was their fault and they corrected the problem.

Apple needs to step up, admit their screw up, and fix people's phones or return their money.

[Seven2k Posted Jul 13th 2010 7:06PM]

@SolidSnake

hahaha!!

So is Engadget got to re-review the phone. It is an iPhone? And the phone part is iffy.

[SimonSaysWin Posted Jul 13th 2010 7:07PM]

@Failbait Followed by the hordes of comments "But Android is so much better!!!!"

[Mike10010100 Posted Jul 13th 2010 7:07PM]

@Gazoobee

"great post, but for the record this part:"

Thanks. I appreciate being corrected/ discussing areas of interest.

"The fact is, every iPhone loses about -20 db every time the gap is bridged." ... has already been disproven. The number comes from the CR test, but two different signal/antenna engineers have stated that their test could not possibly determine this. "

I'm interested in this. I haven't heard about this. I assumed that when CR did their report/ tests they did it inside of a farraday cage with a signal broadcaster, bridged the gap, and then measured the difference in db. Could you link to those signal engineers?

"Personally I just wish someone with half a brain would do definitive, exhaustive tests on this. Most of the problem is that 80% of what you hear about the problem is total BS."

Wait. I'm confused. Which parts are BS? A professor in signal design predicted issues with the exposed antenna. Many tests have been done using the iPhone's internal db measurement. Which ones are inaccurate?

And due to the fact that I was on my phone before (my puny HTC Hero. Slow, but that's what I expected from an entry-level phone), I will now post the video showing tests done with metal bridging the gap:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvH-i7rKPJc

[spartandre217 Posted Jul 13th 2010 7:10PM]

@Xtole
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p295/redassag/th_other_beatingA_DeadHorse.gif
Just for you :-)

[lividmonkey Posted Jul 13th 2010 7:20PM]

@Failbait You forgot the iBrick.

[MayorBloomberg Posted Jul 13th 2010 7:30PM]

@Donloki I own one, and my reception is markedly better. Sorry to disappoint your anecdotal evidence.

[youngluck Posted Jul 13th 2010 7:36PM]

@MMMMM It's more reasonable to believe that those who spent $200 on the phone pitched in on a $25 case to protect it.

[BrandonHarris Posted Jul 13th 2010 7:45PM]

@Ziv

Couldn't have said it better myself. How you made it more than 5 minutes w/o the mob mentality down ranking hammer I don't know.

[EagleyeSmith Posted Jul 13th 2010 7:50PM]

@Ziv

Exactly, I think that we forget that most people that actually take the time to go online and comment on articles, and blog represent such a small sample size. But that small sample size makes such a huge buzz that, its become the only voice on the issue.

I'm not denying that the phone may have issues w/the antenna but not to the point of not being able to use the phone. I'm not trying to do the whole "my friends and people I know deal." However, I've yet, to come across anyone that has an iPhone 4 that has a problem to the degree that its blown up to online.

[m66 Posted Jul 13th 2010 7:52PM]

@bbqbspareribs
What we are watching IS the field testing. Even if you love Apple, it should be clear by now that you need to resist the impulse to pounce on launch day, and wait for the second batch. The folks who stand in line are beta testers.