Anyone else return their verizon iPhone?

[richxps]

I hate to say it but mine is going back today , I knew the data was slower than verizon but after using it , it was actually much slower than I was use to. Don't get me wrong the signal and service is great but that data speed was hurting. I'l ported back to AT&T and was able to get my unlimited back.

 

[mpossoff]

I hate to say it but mine is going back today , I knew the data was slower than verizon but after using it , it was actually much slower than I was use to. Don't get me wrong the signal and service is great but that data speed was hurting. I'l ported back to AT&T and was able to get my unlimited back.

You said data was slower than VZW?

 

[Darthdingo]

Plain and simple. The iPhone4 is a downgrade compared to a high end Android. I know the sheep will disagree but they drink the magical koolaid Steve Jobs brainwashes them with.

Maybe iPhone5 will catch up. It need Notifications...Widgets...larger screen...

 

[Geffen]

Former verizon Droid owner here. Recently purchased the verizon iphone and after 4 days of use I decided to return the phone based on the following observations.

1)Antenna issue. I noticed this the first day I was using the phone. At my office, I always had slow 3G service on my Droid because of the location. However, with the iPhone, my data service cuts in and out without me even touching it. And once I pick it up with my left hand, data pretty much cuts out completely. This is a big deal for me as i spend 8+ hours each day at work.

There is also the same signal attenuation issue if you grasp it like the AT&T iPhone. And NO, this should not be expected as Apple had every opportunity to redesign the antenna since they had to use a CDMA antenna. This is simply poor engineering on Apples part and should not be rewarded.

2)Battery life - I believe this had to do with me being at my office. My droid had good reception on data as well as voice. But I noticed that the iPhone struggled to juggle both throughout the day as it continues to search for 3G and voice connections, my phone literally goes from 99% to 40% by 2pm each day I've been at work. This is with minimal use, no push notifications/data, and I tell the phone to pull email every hour. This is pretty terrible to ME, as I've been using my Droid with extended battery and get 36hrs of heavy use easily.

3)Notifications - This was something that was rather surprising to me. I thought that surely Apple would have placed some sort of visual notification scheme for email or messages on the phone as I keep the phone on silent through the day. However, the only way I even noticed that I have emails or messages is if a pop on the phone every so often. Compared to the Droid, I received various LED notifications the would signify email, SMS, or missed call.

4)iPhone 5 - I was pretty ready to let go of the Droid as I always felt that the Android OS was a compromise to me as I was stuck on Verizon and every other computing device I own is Apple. I also felt the Android OS was clumsy, not as intuitive, and most importantly, it just lacked the "Snappy" response that iPhones had. This was the reason I was so ready to jump on the iPhone 4 bandwagon. After my 4 days with the iPhone 4, I've realized that it was never an upgrade...more of a lateral movement and a slight step up.

I guess I will see whats in store for Verizon come this June. If Verizon does not receive the iPhone 5 by then, iOS might never happen as I do believe Android is catching up with each new release.

I came from a Droid Eris and recently upgraded to the iphone4 on Verizon, I've used my iphone 4 at work and haven't experienced some of the things you're experiencing in an 8 hr period. First I have my iphone 4 in a case I didnt see mention that you have a case? I haven't experienced any data or cell phone loss while holding the iphone or talking on the iphone.
You mention the iphone searches for a 3G or voice connection? could this be you have your wifi turned on and its searching for a wifi connection? I will get the little pop up window that asks if i want to join certain wifi networks if i don't turn off wifi while at work. As far as battery life i still have at least 84% of my battery life available by the end of the 8 hr work day and thats much better than the previous Droid Eris i had. and thats with talking on the phone, searching websites during the day.
As the iphone4 isn't for everyone it takes some getting used to coming from the Android operating system and notifications, for me this has been a step up from my Droid Eris.

 

[Krevnik]

1)Antenna issue.

Your comments here pretty much confirm Anandtech's comments on the subject back with AT&T. They even did their own updated tests: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4163/verizon-iphone-4-review/2

The general reports back then (and now) is that it does have higher signal attenuation, but as long as the signal isn't too low to begin with to drop service, the phone holds onto a call fairly well. With a building that has poor coverage, you will drop signal, which sucks.

Looks like the Verizon model has more attenuation when held with the right hand than the left, kinda backwards from the AT&T model.

I've never seen lower than 3 bar coverage in my area while holding the phone, so I've never seen it personally. I also had the AT&T model which loved to sit at 2 bars inside buildings and got away with it.

2)Battery life - I believe this had to do with me being at my office.

Spot on. If your phone is trying harder to deal with low signal, it will burn it's battery down. Especially if it is switching modes/towers like it sounds in your example.

3)Notifications - This was something that was rather surprising to me.

I think you'll find some conflict between people here. Personally, I'd rather it not heavily intrude unless I got a call or text. I know plenty of power users who are the other way around, I've just gotten burned too much by folks expecting always-on e-mail to mean you are on call while on vacation. So making it easier to ignore e-mail versus real calls is a good thing in my book.

That said, the notifications system is pretty bare-bones and is probably the one feature of the OS in dire need of an overhaul. It hasn't changed much since 1.0.

4)iPhone 5 - I was pretty ready to let go of the Droid as I always felt that the Android OS was a compromise to me as I was stuck on Verizon and every other computing device I own is Apple. I also felt the Android OS was clumsy, not as intuitive, and most importantly, it just lacked the "Snappy" response that iPhones had.

Different people have different needs/wants from the device. I can certainly understand your viewpoint here, and agree with some of the observations about the response and interface. And there are certain things on Android that I've seen that were really simple, nice things to have once you knew they were there. I stick with iOS because it meets my core needs and the flaws are in the realm of minor annoyances, while Android is the other way around. It's why both platforms are as popular as they are.

 

[Warbrain]

I do agree with you, and I have tried to get my Droid to drop bars and it takes both hands tightly clasped around the phone...vs the iPhone where I simply picked it up to check email.

There is a difference though. It's really significant with many iPhone 4s where it can actually cut out the signal. It happens with my ViPhone (I have video evidence to prove it) and no... I'm not doing some kind of death grip; I'm simply just holding it like I would hold any phone and my pinky is always on that region of the phone. I still have my Droid X and I never drop a bar and there have been no cases of it cutting the signal without having to do some kind of awkward deathgrip that no one does.

Good thing though is that my ViPhone handles the 3G signal (with a case on) better than my Droid X, which can lose the 3G signal for some odd reason even when I'm in a place where I know it's solid.

It's all related to signal. Signal strength on any cell phone means nothing now. It's either you have a connection or don't. There is nothing different between what happens to the iPhone or any other cellular device. If you're picking it up and losing signal then you're in an area with poor reception. Previous phones probably didn't report it because they either 1) lied or 2) wasted a ton of battery to get a good signal.

 

[zaccor]

I do love the ViPhone, I was so excited to get it. But I don't exactly like the notification system on it and the interface of the phone is not very customizable.

I guess I got the phone because of the ability to have the iPhone on Verizon, but now I'm thinking about sending it back because of the new 4g phones coming out- Thunderbolt, Droid Bionic, etc. And if none of those really suit me, I can always try the iPhone again when the 5 comes out in the summer.

It just seems like I'm getting a phone that is already "old news" when I could wait a little longer and get something truly "new." I feel like Verizon should have offered some incentive to the iPhone buyers so they don't feel screwed when iPhone 5 comes out.

 

[xraydoc]

Personally, I'm very happy with my iPhone on Verizon. I have very, very good Verizon service here and the iPhone is working great. I have not been using a case on it at all and have no signal issues. None. Data is as fast as Verizon's 3G goes and it connects instantly.

I don't care for Android even though I used to use an HTC Incredible. And I wouldn't want a large 4.3" phone, personally - too big, heavy and thick for my personal tastes. The iPhone 4 IMHO is the perfect size - pocketable and thin.

On top of that, I'm a Mac user, too, so MobileMe is nicely integrated and I find features like Airplay (great for music) and the Remote app for AppleTV to be quite handy (as well as the Xfinity Digital Voice app and the Xfinity cable guide which will control my DVR and act as a cable box remote, too).

Toss in GoodReader and I'm set for file management, storage and viewing.

There's nothing really wrong with Android, but it's just not my cup of tea.

 

[robo74]

Received my iPhone on Monday, sold my droid on Thursday.

While there is obviously some differences between the two with the OS, I am very satisfied to finally have a phone that plays nice with my macbook pro.

I have faith that the next os will have some good features we are lacking now.

I support technology during the day, this includes iPhones, EVOs and more.
When it comes to my personal devices, I just want something that works, call me a fanboy, call me a mac user, it doesnt matter to me.

I received the phone at 9:30AM, had it activated by 10AM, and left work at 4PM to went and got a case for it. I dont see much of the antenna issues, but that may be because of the case. Either way, I am still very happy.

 

[citivolus]

unfortunately mine's going back today. I must live in an area with so-so Verizon coverage because I have attenuation issues. Just gently holding it my left hand causes download speeds to go from 900kbps to 100kbps, from 4 bars (-74 dbm) to 1 bar (-101 dbm), and from 3G to 1X. Unfortunately I don't find it acceptable to put this beautiful phone in a case just to get it to work properly, so I'm going back to my 3GS and will re-evaluate in June.

 

[UCLAKoolman]

I bought the verizon ip4 on impulse but when it gets here on Monday, I'm going to return it unopened because I want to stick it out to get the Thunderbolt, a newer and more exciting phone. (I say this because it is new, rather than the iphone which is 8months old).

I'm going to get the Thunderbolt on a 1yr contract and then maybe get the iPhone 6 when it comes out next year.

Wait isn't the thunderbolt basically an EVO?

 

[natebookpro]

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Coming from the droid too and the notification system is a little wack in the iphone.

I did a little 6 month experiment with the Droid X after having every iPhone to date. I came crawling back to the iPhone, but the one and only thing I really did miss was the notification system. I know it is not an option for everyone, but I picked up Notified+ the other day and am loving it. Might be a worthwhile $3 for anyone who has a jailbroken iPhone.

 

[Pink∆Floyd]

Former verizon Droid owner here. Recently purchased the verizon iphone and after 4 days of use I decided to return the phone based on the following observations.

1)Antenna issue. I noticed this the first day I was using the phone. At my office, I always had slow 3G service on my Droid because of the location. However, with the iPhone, my data service cuts in and out without me even touching it. And once I pick it up with my left hand, data pretty much cuts out completely. This is a big deal for me as i spend 8+ hours each day at work.

There is also the same signal attenuation issue if you grasp it like the AT&T iPhone. And NO, this should not be expected as Apple had every opportunity to redesign the antenna since they had to use a CDMA antenna. This is simply poor engineering on Apples part and should not be rewarded.

2)Battery life - I believe this had to do with me being at my office. My droid had good reception on data as well as voice. But I noticed that the iPhone struggled to juggle both throughout the day as it continues to search for 3G and voice connections, my phone literally goes from 99% to 40% by 2pm each day I've been at work. This is with minimal use, no push notifications/data, and I tell the phone to pull email every hour. This is pretty terrible to ME, as I've been using my Droid with extended battery and get 36hrs of heavy use easily.

3)Notifications - This was something that was rather surprising to me. I thought that surely Apple would have placed some sort of visual notification scheme for email or messages on the phone as I keep the phone on silent through the day. However, the only way I even noticed that I have emails or messages is if a pop on the phone every so often. Compared to the Droid, I received various LED notifications the would signify email, SMS, or missed call.

4)iPhone 5 - I was pretty ready to let go of the Droid as I always felt that the Android OS was a compromise to me as I was stuck on Verizon and every other computing device I own is Apple. I also felt the Android OS was clumsy, not as intuitive, and most importantly, it just lacked the "Snappy" response that iPhones had. This was the reason I was so ready to jump on the iPhone 4 bandwagon. After my 4 days with the iPhone 4, I've realized that it was never an upgrade...more of a lateral movement and a slight step up.

I guess I will see whats in store for Verizon come this June. If Verizon does not receive the iPhone 5 by then, iOS might never happen as I do believe Android is catching up with each new release.

1) There is no antenna issue unless you man handle the crap out of it

2) Battery life is excellent, I find your statement hard to believe

3) Notifications are excellent as they are right now

4) Good for you

 

[Eric374]

1) There is no antenna issue unless you man handle the crap out of it

2) Battery life is excellent, I find your statement hard to believe

3) Notifications are excellent as they are right now

4) Good for you

I have to agree, I've had zero issues with my new iPhone and it beats my wife's Incredible hands down in all areas, battery life, looks, and I even like the notification system.

That being said, I think that the biggest reason why Android has such a bad time with battery life is because of widgets. Put all these widgets on a phone that are constantly updating and the battery life goes down considerably. Even if widgets come to iOS I won't use them for that reason.

 

[Howdr]

When I read your post one question immediately came to mind. What kind of a job do you have where you go to work in an office and stay on your smartphone all day?

Don't you have a landline phone? A computer?

What does that have to do with anything?

The phone should work and the OP is right, Apple did have a chance to fix it but did not.

 

[Eric374]

Plain and simple. The iPhone4 is a downgrade compared to a high end Android. I know the sheep will disagree but they drink the magical koolaid Steve Jobs brainwashes them with.

Maybe iPhone5 will catch up. It need Notifications...Widgets...larger screen...

Just like the magical Koolaid that Google brainwashes Android users with? Lots of Koolaid to go around if you ask me.

 

[zenio]

Btw, I love the level of maturity and Apple Fanboy-ness on this forum based on the first two replies.

You're observation is completely accurate.

It's this type of childish behavior that is so prevalent & unique to the Apple community. Easily influenced, manipulated & controlled by Steve, they've driven product sales to all time highs.

This cult like fan base is an integral part of Apples success.

 

[Eric374]

I wouldn't say unique to the Apple community, just go to Android Forums or XDA, same exact attitudes over there.

 

[Howdr]

You're observation is completely accurate.

It's this type of childish behavior that is so prevalent & unique to the Apple community. Easily influenced, manipulated & controlled by Steve, they've driven product sales to all time highs.

This cult like fan base is an integral part of Apples success.

you should see on ModMyI same stuff.

You mention the Antenna problem and they call you a troll

You make a comment about the battery not being able to be replaced you are told you are "Stupid", since there are ways to pry open Apple devices and unsolder or disconnect the battery and other when upgrading. ( even though this voids the warranty and you may break the device case)

Any of the Flaws of Apple products do not exist even though they do, I have seen posts that asked people to stop criticizing Apple........ Why? pointing out flaws only helps to make apple get better......... At least thats the way normal people act.

 

[zenit]

I returned my iPhone for same exact reason as you.

First, in my building where I've always had good service via Verizon on all of my other phones, I could only get 3G connectivity near the windows. Also, for the first time ever while with Verizon I started experiencing failed calls (in the same building). And yes, I used a case, so it was not a death grip issue. My Samsung Fascinate and HTC Incredible always had at least 2 bars of 3G, while never dropping to 1x.

My battery life became pathetically low. I would go through 50% with just 2 hours of usage. This was worse than notoriously bad HTC incredible. Probably due to phone looking for 3G connection in my building constantly.

These 2 issues made it impossible for me to continue using the iPhone, as I need a fully functioning phone, especially in the building where I work.

The non-deal breaking drawbacks that were important to me were the absence of a native app based gmail and gchat (dont want to give me google account info to 3rd party app) clients, and google maps turn based navigation. After re-activating my old Android phone, I realized how much I missed these 3 things.

In my opinion, iPhone provides excellent user experience, but lacks some features, while Android is mediocre user experience wise, but is alot better when it comes to things I use my phone for every day. Apple also really needs to fix the RF on the iPhones before I really consider buying one again.

I have to say that I was rather disappointed. I was expecting something iPad-like experience, which I had for 6 months, and considering it to be one of my favorite mobile devices. I might be too used to Android, but I found iPhone usage to be rather frustrating during the week I had it.

 

[whiteyanderson]

Btw, I love the level of maturity and Apple Fanboy-ness on this forum based on the first two replies.

I'm not saying these comments are warranted. But, seriously, if didn't expect these types of things then why bother starting this thread? Why not just return the phone and go on with life? No need to announce it. This thread doesn't HELP anyone except maybe yourself if it makes you feel better to spill your guts to the world.

If anything, using the term "Apple fanboy" makes you kind of seem like an Android fanboy. So then I wonder what the real purpose of this thread is. Bewildering.

 

[GT NFR]

I'm not saying these comments are warranted. But, seriously, if didn't expect these types of things then why bother starting this thread? Why not just return the phone and go on with life? No need to announce it. This thread doesn't HELP anyone except maybe yourself if it makes you feel better to spill your guts to the world.

If anything, using the term "Apple fanboy" makes you kind of seem like an Android fanboy. So then I wonder what the real purpose of this thread is. Bewildering.

This thread was meant to be a question to see who returned their phone. If you didn't then please don't feel obligated to provide your 2 cents.

 

[whiteyanderson]

This thread was meant to be a question to see who returned their phone. If you didn't then please don't feel obligated to provide your 2 cents.

I'll add my 2 cents simply BECAUSE you made this thread. And others will give you stupid answers because you ARE ASKING for them.

If you notice earlier I gave you an answer in regards to battery life with the phone.

I'm just saying if you don't like certain answers then there's no reason to whine about them. You knew full and well that they would come merely by creating this topic. To avoid it, simply return the phone and keep it to yourself. What's the point is needing to know exactly how many people are returning their phone? Justification? You'll be in the minority regardless of whether or not you ask this question.

 

[GT NFR]

I'll add my 2 cents simply BECAUSE you made this thread. And others will give you stupid answers because you ARE ASKING for them.

If you notice earlier I gave you an answer in regards to battery life with the phone.

I'm just saying if you don't like certain answers then there's no reason to whine about them. You knew full and well that they would come merely by creating this topic. To avoid it, simply return the phone and keep it to yourself. What's the point is needing to know exactly how many people are returning their phone? Justification? You'll be in the minority regardless of whether or not you ask this question.

Thanks for the input. Why ask? As with anything in life....I'm curious.

 

[Howdr]

I'm not saying these comments are warranted. But, seriously, if didn't expect these types of things then why bother starting this thread? Why not just return the phone and go on with life? No need to announce it. This thread doesn't HELP anyone except maybe yourself if it makes you feel better to spill your guts to the world.

If anything, using the term "Apple fanboy" makes you kind of seem like an Android fanboy. So then I wonder what the real purpose of this thread is. Bewildering.

Anyone else return their verizon iPhone?

Title of the thread and he then gave his reason.

Seems to me they want to interact with others and know why or why not returning the phone......... Seems reasonable subject

Why can't we expect Maturity at this site?

Does it say "Only Positive posts about Apple are to be posted somewhere?"