Sounds like a T-Mobile problem to me
So an iPhone 7 being better than an iPhone 11 on reception is a T-Mobile problem if both phones were on that same network? I think not.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone 11 Antenna Gain
- Thread starter robrobrobro
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
So an iPhone 7 being better than an iPhone 11 on reception is a T-Mobile problem if both phones were on that same network? I think not.
My buddy just got a new iPhone 8 and inside this condo we are working he has no service unless he stands net to a window, new high rise. T Mobil claimed to have did something to his line and he gets better service in there now. My Verizon 11 pro works fine in there as a comparison
[automerge]1570805836[/automerge]
Just to add, on Verizon anyways, I shut off LTE and just use 3G in real bad areas and I get better reception. It’s like Verizon or Apple doesn’t have the phone setup to just jump to the best signal and it hangs on until it drops.
Yes, it is most likely a T-mobile issue and/or an iOS carrier configuration (software) issue. The problem is not the 11/Pro. It is how the phone is communicating with the carrier's network. It's not uncommon for there to be some issues with certain bands on certain carriers when a new iPhone is released. Happens almost every year. Those kinks get worked out within a month or two. Look back at threads on this forum that start in September every single year.
We're talking about very slight differences in antenna gain between every single iPhone model. Do you really think the iPhone 7 is night and day better in its antenna design vs. the iPhone 11/Pro? It's not. The differences are minimal and won't be noticeable until you are at the very brink of losing reception completely (i.e. once the signal is worse than -120dBm or so). If other issues exist, it's likely either a defective device or there are some kinks to be worked out between Apple and the carrier.
Edit: Here's an example of plenty of people (I was one of them) who had issues with the coveted iP7 when it first came out:
iPhone 7 Plus "No Service" (VZW)
Is anyone else having cellular connectivity issues on VZW? My phone is saying "No Service" in previously strong-signal areas? Mine has done this about 4 times that I've noticed in the past 24 hours. It lasts about 2-3 minutes each time. iPhone 7 Plus 128GB, Verizon Fully up-to-date: 10.0.1...
forums.macrumors.com
Verizon iPhone 7 Users Afflicted With LTE Connectivity Problems
A growing number of Verizon subscribers are complaining about a serious issue that causes them to regularly lose LTE connectivity on their iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus devices, suggesting a major bug that needs to be resolved by either Apple or Verizon. There are dozens of complaints from...
forums.macrumors.com
Last edited:
but isn't the modems in the new phones worse than the old phones?Yes, it is most likely a T-mobile issue and/or an iOS carrier configuration (software) issue. The problem is not the 11/Pro. It is how the phone is communicating with the carrier's network. It's not uncommon for there to be some issues with certain bands on certain carriers when a new iPhone is released. Happens almost every year. Those kinks get worked out within a month or two. Look back at threads on this forum that start in September every single year.
We're talking about very slight differences in antenna gain between every single iPhone model. Do you really think the iPhone 7 is night and day better in its antenna design vs. the iPhone 11/Pro? It's not. The differences are minimal and won't be noticeable until you are at the very brink of losing reception completely (i.e. once the signal is worse than -120dBm or so). If other issues exist, it's likely either a defective device or there are some kinks to be worked out between Apple and the carrier.
Edit: Here's an example of plenty of people (I was one of them) who had issues with the coveted iP7 when it first came out:
iPhone 7 Plus "No Service" (VZW)
Is anyone else having cellular connectivity issues on VZW? My phone is saying "No Service" in previously strong-signal areas? Mine has done this about 4 times that I've noticed in the past 24 hours. It lasts about 2-3 minutes each time. iPhone 7 Plus 128GB, Verizon Fully up-to-date: 10.0.1...Verizon iPhone 7 Users Afflicted With LTE Connectivity Problems
A growing number of Verizon subscribers are complaining about a serious issue that causes them to regularly lose LTE connectivity on their iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus devices, suggesting a major bug that needs to be resolved by either Apple or Verizon. There are dozens of complaints from...
whatever it is i hope they figure it out and fix it. this is awful.
No issues with my iPhone 11 Pro compared to my previous iPhone 8 (Qualcomm). The reception in bad reception areas is very similar. However in good reception areas, my iPhone 11 Pro is really better.
(I live in France and my carrier is Bouygues Telecom. I am currently on 13.2 beta 2)
(I live in France and my carrier is Bouygues Telecom. I am currently on 13.2 beta 2)
I appreciate this analysis. I think it's convinced me to buy the significant other a new iPhone 11 Pro Max -- as soon as they become available. I still have my iPhone 7, and it is an amazing phone with great connectivity. I hope the iPhone 11 Pro Max does as well. Can't buy one right now, all stock is sold out, every model, every color.
No complaints with the modem here. The new Intel modem is performing better for me than any iPhone I’ve had in recent years - including Qualcomm models.
I haven’t had to toggle airplane mode to restore data once since getting my 11 Pro on launch day. And that’s something I’ve always had to do on occasion with recent iPhone models - including various Qualcomm models (iP7, iP8, etc.). My XS (Intel) was the worst in this regard however. But no issues with the 11 Pro so far.
Last edited:
Is it possible you have a defective device? I'm on Verizon so I can't speak to T-Mobile unfortunately.
no because the signal is fine, it's not awful, it's just not as good as what i had before, its slightly less when it should be an improvement.
So many misconceptions of how antennas works.
I was up north I’m the mountains camping. Normally this is where I don’t have good reception.
There was no difference between my wife’s XR, my old X and my new 11 Pro Max.
I kept looking at the phones and all 3 phones were getting same reception all the time.
You guys can look at charts all day, I like real life situations to base if I was keeping a new phone or not and I now know it’s not an issue for me. Cheers.
I was up north I’m the mountains camping. Normally this is where I don’t have good reception.
There was no difference between my wife’s XR, my old X and my new 11 Pro Max.
I kept looking at the phones and all 3 phones were getting same reception all the time.
You guys can look at charts all day, I like real life situations to base if I was keeping a new phone or not and I now know it’s not an issue for me. Cheers.
So many misconceptions of how antennas works.
I was up north I’m the mountains camping. Normally this is where I don’t have good reception.
There was no difference between my wife’s XR, my old X and my new 11 Pro Max.
I kept looking at the phones and all 3 phones were getting same reception all the time.
You guys can look at charts all day, I like real life situations to base if I was keeping a new phone or not and I now know it’s not an issue for me. Cheers.
It has to do with specific bands in specific locations. it's not going to be the same for everyone, obviously.
According to Tmobile there is a band that was made available to new Iphone 11 users in this area but for some reason it is not working and engineers are looking at the situation now. This band was supposed to illi alleviate some of the connection issues.
So many misconceptions of how antennas works.
I was up north I’m the mountains camping. Normally this is where I don’t have good reception.
There was no difference between my wife’s XR, my old X and my new 11 Pro Max.
I kept looking at the phones and all 3 phones were getting same reception all the time.
You guys can look at charts all day, I like real life situations to base if I was keeping a new phone or not and I now know it’s not an issue for me. Cheers.
Looking at the phone doesn’t do much either, using it tells the story. There is a lot of cases where the phone shows signal or LTE even but has none.
I made a post in the beginning of this thread. I’ve had the phone for almost a month. Tested signal and speeds by using LTE all day in my apartment. My Qualcomm X would sometimes have an unusable signal in regards to data. I’d have the phone in my pocket and I’d have no service. With the 11 Pro I have not seen any drops of service. Speeds have been faster.
The ultimate test will be my grandma’s house. My iPhone X would have one bar of LTE almost consistently with usable data. Next time I go up with my 11 Pro I’m hoping I’ll have a better experience.
So far I’m happy with my purchase, one reason being this.
The ultimate test will be my grandma’s house. My iPhone X would have one bar of LTE almost consistently with usable data. Next time I go up with my 11 Pro I’m hoping I’ll have a better experience.
So far I’m happy with my purchase, one reason being this.
Good point, however, this is a place we’ve been to for many years and know good reception spots and where we can get reception or not in the mountains.
There’s places in between towns on our drive up and we were all up or down at the same time.
When we want to make a call out from where we actually stay at the cabin, we have to ride our quads a few miles up the road to on an open clearing higher up the mountain where the signal gets through. This trip was no different. We packed a lunch, rode up there for fun, just to touch base with reality and kids do their thing.
This last trip I made it a point to pay close attention to actual usage. I’m a little tech savvy build my own and kids gaming computers and would know this, I just didn’t go into detail. I’ll reiterate, we had reception at the same time between all 3 different models in all the hard to reach areas for us all on Sprint.
No I do not, sorry. I had decent reception in the subway. I would go from 5Ge to LTE and then 4G and I think it dropped out once but quickly regained service and a couple instances where I had no data and voice only. I do not ride the subway a whole lot when I am in New York but I did on Sunday and took a few screenshots. Other than that, excellent service all around the city, I am still here actually and fly back home tomorrow.
This is what I needed to hear. I'm also on T-mobile in NYC and have the same issues in the subway. Always having to toggle airplane mode to get the signal back. May pick up an 11 or 11 Pro this weekend now.
I literally never have to even touch it on my 11 Pro anymore. On the express train the phone connects at almost every single stop that we pass by. There are exceptions here and there when it runs too fast for instance, but overall the phone shows better signal re-acquisition or data speeds where my Qualcomm X struggled. It's a big surprise, frankly speaking, as I was expecting the worst after the whole XS fiasco. I even kept the 11 Pro mostly due to this (and great battery life). When I was buying it, I thought it would be mostly the camera that justified upgrading from the X. The camera is indeed a solid step-up compared to the X, but the whole signal thing actually happened to be an even bigger improvement for me.
Last edited:
It's really hard to say how well it's performing without a head to head comparison on the same network in the same location. The NYC subway is probably the best test for signal re-acquisition, since the train goes from station to station quickly, whereas rural would show weak signal performance.