Yes, the iPhone 4 is broken / No, the iPhone 4 is not broken
By Nilay Patel 
posted July 13th 2010 5:28PM
posted July 13th 2010 5:28PM
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 (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 (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. |
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. |
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, 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. |
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, 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.
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."
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. |
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."
I think it is hillarious how journalists are supposed to take an unbiased approach to writing articles, yet those at engadget have utterly failed to abide by this integrity.
Notice how many Apple articles are written here? Notice how so many employees have the iphone 4? The bias here is sickening...
@ElectroGuru The truth is, you just can't stand the fact that they're not backing your anti-Apple stance over the iPhone 4.
How is the view from that cave you've been living in...
@ElectroGuru
Sorry, but who cares?
"Notice how many Apple articles are written here?"
Notice how many people turn up on those articles to comment? If you have a "product" that sells, why wouldn't you make more of them? Or do you think that Engadget should only write unpopular articles that no one cares about?
"Notice how so many employees have the iphone 4?"
So what? Are you suggesting that owning an iPhone means that you are incapable of critical thought? That someone who has bought Product A is somehow incapable of reviewing/discussing Product B? Are you mad?
"The bias here is sickening..."
Is it really so important to you that people have to agree with your opinion? Do you really have a physical reaction to a tech site not having the same opinion as you?
Seriously, get a grip.
Ou know what I dropped 6 calls yesterday on my nokia 5800 holding it every way would make no difference full bars to no bars dropped call in seconds!!
Personally an iPhone would be an improvement to an touch 32 and nokia 5800 in my case
Ps stop complaining and buy a $1 (£1) case of eBay dude
SERIOUSLY
I held my iPhone 4 the "wrong" way for a long time and the 5 bars did not change at all. Maybe I am lucky and have a phone that doesn't have an antenna problem, or there is some other factor involved that I am missing.
@Alex0022 it really depends on the condition of the environment sometimes. Humid hands are more likely to trigger the problem.
@Alex0022 I've been to Trenton, NJ, Detroit, MI, St. Louis, MO, Harlem ... I've never been mugged or killed. There must not be any problems there.
@ec42
Those places are very large. Its very possible to avoid seeing their problems on a daily basis. My iPhone, on the other hand, is much smaller than Trenton, NJ. I can see everything about it without moving. I use it everyday and have not seen any problems. So, if I have somehow avoided its crippling "problems" since day one, then I would say they aren't even problems at all. Other than that, some unlucky people may have gotten faulty phones, which happens with every product in existence. Nothing is perfect.
Lol at whoever is deleting comments out of this discussion. I'm not talking down-ranked, I'm talking deleted. Someone's feathers are ruffled.
@NemZero
Welcome to engadget: the biased, communist website you've been wishing for!
Cupertino Death Grip - now THAT would be a great band name.
I have not had any problems with my phone, which I have had for about 10 days now. I live in Los Angeles and usually rely on the "death grip" (I'm not left-handed except when I hold a phone for some reason.). I started out using no case and have since slipped my old 3G case back on just to protect it until my new case arrives. I have noticed a slight drop in signal strength (5 to 3 bars) when holding the phone without a case, but no dropped calls yet. MUCH better call quality and much lower drop rate than with my old 3G.
Day after day I'm starting to come to this website a lot less often. Engadget is so biased it's sick. And before you cult followers get all up on me, I'm not an Apple hater, or follower at that. I just enjoy tech and enjoy keeping up with the latest in the tech industry. But engadget has gotten pretty ridiculous. All of this noise in favor of Apple is going to delay a much needed recall.
@jawman same here, couldn't agree more. I was a huge fan of engadget, so sad.
@jawman
sorry - what if, by some ridiculous stretch of the imagination, the editors are only experiencing mixed (at best) performance issues? Ever think they might simply be telling the truth in their reviews? It doesn't make them biased or "in apple's pocket."
The fewer dipshits like you around here, the better. Go troll pcworld or some other bullshit.
@Yunfei
Trust me - nobody cares that you're gonna stop coming here. There's plenty of other pre-pubescent nerds lining up to read this site.
@TomSawyer So true--people go and hang out where their beliefs are validated. They don't like to see someone express a different opinion. It is a self-reinforcing thing, and that leads to the extreme polarization we see in politics, android vs. iOS, mac vs windows, and so many other stupid debates.
I can get the signal to drop by gripping the antenna. However, this hasn't affected my calling. Seldomly my web usage can respond sluggishly for a few seconds by immediately act blazing fast throughout the whole session. If I get out of safari and return back in. It repeats the steps again, sluggish then blazing. (keep in mind that this does not happen often to me.) The case I purchased did resolve the reception meter.
My wife and I both have 3GS units...and live in a rural area. We can drop calls just walking around the house. OTOH, we rarely have issues away from home.
A friend with an iPhone 4 could NOT drop a call at our house last weekend. Hardly a scientific test, but it worked just fine.
We're also on a "spit and baling wire" AT&T DSL connection for Internet access and his data rate on our wireless network was as good or better than our 3GS phones.
We're going to upgrade and we'll use cases like we do for our current phones. So, probably a non-issue for us.
Um.. no, the iPhone 4 is pretty much broken. Comparing various persons' qualitative opinions of signal strength to a scientific analysis conducted by Consumer Reports is no comparison. CR wins every time. The only reason various people aren't having the issue is because they hold it different, they live in different cities, etc, etc.
That's like saying a chair isn't broken if you can somehow balance yourself on 3 legs.
@enjourni
Your ridiculous. The iPhone4 is not "broken" It works just fine with a somewhat flawed design that anyone can learn how to control very easily. Put it in a case and its just fine without paying attention to how you hold it. Get in the habit of using bluetooth and it EASY to hold it and easy to hold it without as well.
I'm not saying there is no problem with the antenna design. I'm saying that until apple does something about it, Its still not much of an issue.
Stop crying. hope for a recall or live with it. It works just fine (unless you touch the antenna in a poor reception area) Big deal
Just an idea.. what if apple were to start selling the "other" iphone 4, the one that was rumored to look just like the 3gs?
So where's that Samsung Vibrant review, Engadget?
Hey peeps.... just another person feeling the need to say i have had NO issues at all with my iPhone4 (don't think there's enough of us around making the effort to post and starting to feel sorry for Apple over all the hoohah)... I try really hard and cannot easily replicate dropping bars, no call cutouts or slow data as yet no matter how i hold it or whether i have my case on or not (why would you not use screen protectors and something that covers most of the device when you spend 600 quid on something that comes with you everywhere, dont understand all the fuss about the bumper fix hehe, though yes i love the look and feel of the phone and when safely at home in a carpeted room i take it out to have a feel/look ;-) ) .... I live in the British Isles in an area with excellent 2g/3g/3.5g coverage, maybe that really is the issue? and I feel that consumer thing that seems to be causing the most fuss at the mo should pay attention to the fact there are very many people who are happy and change their report again again.
Ariel xxx
While waiting for my reserved iPhone to be brought out to me, I took the liberty of testing the finger over the crack theory (ok wise guys) and noticed that the display model stayed at 5 bars. So I tried the phone next to it, covering all cracks, same thing. I tried 8 different display models and.... You guessed it. Perfect signal every time. We all know that not only these phones can be modded and mangled in many different ways, but that apple has been sweeping the dirt under the rug *cough-deleting posts-cough*. What are the odds they just put in a patch to upsell?
As to the quality of the phones being rushed out of the plant and into the hands of mouth watering techies, I didn't get past the parking lot before I noticed my first defect. What I had initially thought was a sticky paper substance, turned out to be some sort of paper/packaging trapped between the glass and the "unsinkable" antenna. Needless to say, the new one They replaced has no signal..
As Ron Burgundy says: it's the pleats. It's actually an optical illusion".
@Visubversa
the problem is still there. Its just that you were in a good area when you tested them and the signal didn't drop low enough to show in the form of dropped bars.
So literally just got my iPhone 4 not even 30 minutes ago. Activated and sync(syncing took longer than activating). First thing I tired was covering the spot, nothing happens. The bars remain the same...
Well, I tried it again. And the bars do go down...Good thing I usually hold it with my right hand haha
Ive had mine for a couple weeks now and I love it. No complaints at all.
Lou
www.privacy-tools.es.tc
OK, I admit I didn't read the hole thing, nor the comments (have no time for now). So I might be wrong, commenting what's already... well, commented or just playing stupid, but are you guys considering how many iPhone 4 owners are using bumpers. I heard using bumpers solve the reception problem, and I have the tendency to think the majority of cellphone owners cover theirs. Please, don't burn me if I'm moving to the obvious side of the Force.
I have always been a long time apple enthusiast, bu I have to so my old iPhone 3G was 100 times better as far as reception is concerned. I drop calls probably 90% of the time and I have been using my phone in the same places I have always used my iPhone 3G. I hope this issue is resolved!!!
@Platano55
just get a freaking case then and wait for apple to recall and replace. With a case the phone works just fine.
"... but the people who are having problems are having maddening issues in an inconsistent way."
Not inconsistant for me. I can produce a dropped call or stopped download by sitting at my desk and placing a pinky or hand on the antenna gap. I did it more than once for Apple tech support the first week I had my phone. Had 3 of them actually, all identical.
And I tried tape. I even coated the antennas on the left side with clear nail polish. Helped a little bit, maybe. Still dropped a call when held in a normal way.
Finally had to return the phones and go back to my trusty 3GS. I have 3 of those, and I can hold them any way I please and not drop a call or block a download.
I'm starting to get tired of posting my experiences with it, as about all I'll get over it is someone calling me a troll or a lier. I think the only thing for me to do in order to get all the goodness from an iPhone 4 is to move to a new location where I get better than 2-3 bars or just wait for the iPhone 4B. I'm not using a case. Hate em.
@Wingsy
Half of me does not want to cover up the iPhone 4 but the other half sees a badass case like this and say hell yes. www.elementcase.com
I'm not using the case at the moment and I find it quite easy to avoid most antenna issues. So if i didn't want a case i still wouldn't have a big problem with this. Most of you are way too pissed about this.
relax and enjoy your phone
I feel the need to post one more time.
To those folks who can place the finger over the gap and not see any change in the number of bars: It's way more complicated than that. For one thing, 1 to 5 bars only represent the LOWER 40% or so of signal strength, so if you're getting 5 bars it could mean you've got a signal strength of 41% or 100% (signal strength isn't really measured in %, it's done in decibels, but for simplicity...) Now then, covering the antenna gap reduces the strength by 20%, so if you were already at 90% (5 bars) you will drop to 70%, still 5 bars. But if you covered the gap where you were getting 19% then cutting that by 20% equals a dropped call.
And then, to really throw a monkey wrench into the works, you could be connected to a tower at a frequency of 1900MHz or 800MHz. One frequency may exasperate this problem and the other be immune to it. I don't think we know that yet. But in any case, the tower I predominately connect to when having this problem is a 1900MHz Edge-only tower. But, I've seen it on a 3G tower as well.
The story goes on...
There's no such thing as bad publicity.
i had a samsung phone that had an antenna issue that was almost as bad as the iphone. I can tell you it was very frustrating.
Here's the funny thing. It seems that many of us readers have the Death Grip problem, however everyone in the reviewing industry (minus Gizmodo, duh) has no real problems with it. I've had several mixed results with the Death Grip, and about 50% of the time, I experience signal drop, but I've never gotten it to drop below three bars. 20% of the time, I don't drop any bars, and then and about 30% of the time, I actually go up in bars. However, 50% of the time, I realize that it's not the end of the world. I mean, it's not a crappy phone, it's still a freakin' good phone, even the best phone I've ever had (first iPhone), with only one major flaw. If another company had this problem, it would be ok, but since Apple did it, and Apple does EVERYTHING right, it's been a media fiasco. We're used to it with Microsoft, think about it. Vista. If this phone was a Microsoft phone, everyone would say that since Microsoft has such a low standard of quality, it's a step towards the light, and that Microsoft wowed us, oh and there's just a little problem with the antenna. Apple has a big standard of quality, so is that why the media's treating this like the end of the world? Just my opinion. I look forward to replies.
@zajzaj
100% agree.... its a GREAT phone and FYI for those of you who don't know..... any case will solve you antenna problem. Sucks theres a problem in the first place but thats the reality of it. Another reality is that its not difficult to get in the habit of holding the phone in anyway other then touching the antenna point if you don't want a case.
www.elementcase.com
some real nice cases out there.
Great timing for Android to grab more market share...way to go Apple ; )
@bufbarnaby News flash, everybody's still buying iPhones lol
You put your left hand in,
You put your left hand out,
In out in out,
And you shake it all about,
You do the Hokey Cokey,
And you turn yourself around,
That's what it's all about!
Just a quick comment to say that I think this was an outstanding article. A lot of what appears on Engadget tends to be a bit rubbish (sorry) but occasionally a gem appears and I think this is one of them. Good job, Nilay.
So, calm people with dry skin won't have a problem, and excitable people with moist skin will lose signal. I'm surprised that Jobs hasn't exhorted us all to take up meditation.
This video about the iPhone-wanting drones is so funny, it should be MANDATORY viewing for all:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL7yD-0pqZg
There is clearly a problem and to date your (Engadgets) in-house and compiled accounts have represented the most accurate description of the problems although I think we can do better.
Forgive me if I am wrong but as I understand, the (supposedly isolated) separated antennas are associated with different wireless functions, GPRS, HSDPA, Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS ect.. It is clear that the learned Apple engineers have separated these antennae to improve individual components of reception. The affectionately named “grip of death” is likely to degrade signal by providing an electrical connection between the separate antenna components.
In this respect would it not be pertinent to control for variables such as the sweatiness or effective conductance of the aforementioned deathly hand, the other IO signals going through the other antennae and the impedance between these antennae. The latter could be done with a simple volt metre and is particularly pertinent since some of the aftermarket (seemingly original) shells that no apple referrers are getting show no resistance between the different antennae.
This is all particularly interesting since apple is calling this conference on Friday and you have access to a bunch of devices with heterogeneous effects. If you guys could do some of these tests it might protect others eyes from some apple flavoured wool;-)
Still no reception issues of any kind with my iPhone