For those of you with no signal issues

[bbates123]

Do yourself a favor and download the free Speedtest.net app and do a few trials...grip of death, fingers on but not bridging, and bumper on. When I'm at work and I hold the phone death grip style (no bumper on) I don't drop bars, but when I do the Speedtest.net tests the results are quite surprising. Here's what I'm experiencing (speeds in Mbps)...

Down Up Usage
4.48 1.60 Bumper on
0.46 0.01 Bumper off, grip of death
2.89 1.44 Bumper off, fingers on rim but not the death spot
3.01 1.57 Bumper off, fingers on glass only
4.08 1.60 Bumper on

I'd bet you'll see similar results. This phone absolutely needs a bumper or case for best results. I can't see how Apple's "fix" is going to fix this issue.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

There's already a thread on this exact test and many still reported no signal issues.

 

[chrono1081]

No signal issues here.

 

[TonyC28]

I did a similar test and here are my results:
ALL WITH NO CASE ON THE PHONE. Tested 5 times for each situation, these numbers are averages...

2.91/1.20 - Sitting on desk
3.26/0.89 - In my palm
3.07/1.14 - Holding rim with thumb below volume buttons and finger below sim door
3.64/0.90 - Thumb over "death spot" and finger on the opposite black band

Basically, all pretty close to the same for me. Ironically, a little higher when I touch the dreaded "death spot." If this is a hardware issue I seem to be one of the lucky ones

 

[bbates123]

I did a similar test and here are my results:
ALL WITH NO CASE ON THE PHONE. Tested 5 times for each situation, these numbers are averages...

2.91/1.20 - Sitting on desk
3.26/0.89 - In my palm
3.07/1.14 - Holding rim with thumb below volume buttons and finger below sim door
3.64/0.90 - Thumb over "death spot" and finger on the opposite black band

Basically, all pretty close to the same for me. Ironically, a little higher when I touch the dreaded "death spot." If this is a hardware issue I seem to be one of the lucky ones

Tony, when you say "in my palm" is that in your left hand with the death spot being covered? I've found that if I just put a finger on the death spot my results are more like 2.0/1.0 but when I palm it with the left hand (bridging the spot) it's more like .60/.30.

 

[TonyC28]

Tony, when you say "in my palm" is that in your left hand with the death spot being covered? I've found that if I just put a finger on the death spot my results are more like 2.0/1.0 but when I palm it with the left hand (bridging the spot) it's more like .60/.30.

Sorry I should have been more specific. It was in my palm only touching the back glass. Here are my results for holding it in my palm with my palm touching the death spot..basically like a left-handed person would hold it:
Average of 5 tests: 3.87/0.45
So the download went up and the upload went down. Call me stupid but which one is more important?

 

[bbates123]

Dang that's weird! Upload speeds not great but your download speeds are fantastic. Wish I had your phone. Are you super close to a cell tower?

 

[cloner]

Do yourself a favor and download the free Speedtest.net app and do a few trials...grip of death, fingers on but not bridging, and bumper on. When I'm at work and I hold the phone death grip style (no bumper on) I don't drop bars, but when I do the Speedtest.net tests the results are quite surprising. Here's what I'm experiencing (speeds in Mbps)...

Down Up Usage
4.48 1.60 Bumper on
0.46 0.01 Bumper off, grip of death
2.89 1.44 Bumper off, fingers on rim but not the death spot
3.01 1.57 Bumper off, fingers on glass only
4.08 1.60 Bumper on

I'd bet you'll see similar results. This phone absolutely needs a bumper or case for best results. I can't see how Apple's "fix" is going to fix this issue.

I see almost this exact same effect in my office, however, only if I turn off WiFi and force the data connection to go over the 3G network. If WiFi is connected I see no effect from the grip of death using SpeedTest. This may be why some people are reporting no difference and sometimes a little improvement. I can completely shutdown any data transfer over 3G with the grip of death on a "naked" iPhone 4 in my office. I get significant attenuation at home where I am a block away from an AT&T cell tower. Just my observation.

Cloner

 

[Interstella5555]

I love how people keep pushing this. Yes, there are defective phones out there that need a solution. But some of us don't have this problem. Do I keep insisting your phone is fine even though it isn't? No? Then stop telling me my phone is broken when it works perfectly.

 

[dmelgar]

I love how people keep pushing this. Yes, there are defective phones out there that need a solution. But some of us don't have this problem[/]. Do I keep insisting your phone is fine even though it isn't? No? Then stop telling me my phone is broken when it works perfectly.

Wow. Read much?
Read Apples letter today?
Read the Anandtech review?
ALL the iPhone 4s have a hardware design issue. It is known, confirmed, fact.
There is no fix coming from Apple.
Your phone is broken, but worse you don't seem to understand that.

 

[Ronnoco]

3G Speed Test results:
2591 down/1241 up at 10:00am on 6-27
1761 down/999 up at 3:00pm on 7-1
WiFi Speed Test results (Apple Airport Extreme N Dual Band Gigibit ethernet):
8616 down/4969 up on 6-27 at 10:01am
9004 down/5278 up on 7-1 at 2:58pm
I've had zero dropped calls in the week I've had the phone (16GB).
I've had no data dropouts.
I do not have a case of any kind on the phone.
I have held the phone cupped in my left hand and haven't been able to replicate the signal drop issue as of yet.
I don't seem to have a signal issue in my area (north coastal San Diego) but I haven't been outside my local zone this week so I don't know how the phone will react outside my home area where AT&T signal is usually quite good...
Thus far I am quite pleased with the phone...

 

[raremage]

3G Speed Test results:
2591 down/1241 up at 10:00am on 6-27
1761 down/999 up at 3:00pm on 7-1
WiFi Speed Test results (Apple Airport Extreme N Dual Band Gigibit ethernet):
8616 down/4969 up on 6-27 at 10:01am
9004 down/5278 up on 7-1 at 2:58pm
I've had zero dropped calls in the week I've had the phone (16GB).
I've had no data dropouts.
I do not have a case of any kind on the phone.
I have held the phone cupped in my left hand and haven't been able to replicate the signal drop issue as of yet.
I don't seem to have a signal issue in my area (north coastal San Diego) but I haven't been outside my local zone this week so I don't know how the phone will react outside my home area where AT&T signal is usual quite good...
Thus far I am quite pleased with the phone...

I'm with you buddy - i don't seem to be having any signal issues, and see no reason to go looking for one. No dropped calls, better reception than I've had with my old phone in the same areas. I'm very happy with the mine!

 

[rorschach]

Wow. Read much?
Read Apples letter today?
Read the Anandtech review?
ALL the iPhone 4s have a hardware design issue. It is known, confirmed, fact.
There is no fix coming from Apple.
Your phone is broken, but worse you don't seem to understand that.

Really? Well if my phone has a problem, I haven't encountered it. I get great reception, no signal drop or slowdowns when holding it in some funny way, no yellow spots, no nothing. It performs better than my 3GS.

So please tell me what the problem with my phone is. MY phone, not other people's phones.

 

[JediZenMaster]

My iPhone is fine I don't need to test it because it works for me.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

Wow. Read much?
Read Apples letter today?
Read the Anandtech review?
ALL the iPhone 4s have a hardware design issue. It is known, confirmed, fact.
There is no fix coming from Apple.
Your phone is broken, but worse you don't seem to understand that.

Likewise, all the iMacs produced at the time when the freezing issue was apparent had the same hardware, yet some of us never experienced the freezing problem. Apple was pretty much silent on the freezing iMac fix until it actually came out.

Not all iPhone 4s are affected, but worse you don't seem to understand that.

 

[Built]

No problems here. Great reception. In fact, I have had fewer dropped calls on the i4 than my 3G...

The people who keep starting threads about the reception issue being a fact are seemingly ready to stroke out with each successive thread...and they insist that the rest of us are in denial. Why is it so important to them that we agree? Especially when our experience is different from theirs?

I guess misery loves company...

NEXT!!!

 

[drtimo]

Wow. Read much?
Read Apples letter today?
Read the Anandtech review?
ALL the iPhone 4s have a hardware design issue. It is known, confirmed, fact.
There is no fix coming from Apple.
Your phone is broken, but worse you don't seem to understand that.

Have you taken yours back yet?

 

[anng12]

My results

Case On- Death Grip - DL 2.12 Mbps --- UL 0.09Mbps
Case On- Non Death Grip- DL 2.61Mbps --- UL 0.09Mbps
Case Off- Non Death Grip - DL 2.46Mbps --- UL 0.09 Mbps
Case Off- Death Grip DL 2.24 Mbps --- UL 0.09 Mbps

These results don't make sense.

 

[big0mar]

Wow. Read much?
Read Apples letter today?
Read the Anandtech review?
ALL the iPhone 4s have a hardware design issue. It is known, confirmed, fact.
There is no fix coming from Apple.
Your phone is broken, but worse you don't seem to understand that.

This has to be a joke. You realize every phone experiences this issue?

 

[TonyC28]

Dang that's weird! Upload speeds not great but your download speeds are fantastic. Wish I had your phone. Are you super close to a cell tower?

I'm new to all this signal issue stuff so I have no idea if there is a tower near me. How can I find that out?

 

[bbates123]

If you're happy with your phone and it's working great for you that's fabulous. I just wanted to see how many people truly see no data dropoff when holding a bare phone with the death grip (and wifi turned off).

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

This has to be a joke. You realize every phone experiences this issue?

Let's not downplay those having the issue by lumping it with the common phenomenon found even in the original iPhone. We're dealing with two different issues here.

 

[Knowimagination]

Wow. Read much?
Read Apples letter today?
Read the Anandtech review?
ALL the iPhone 4s have a hardware design issue. It is known, confirmed, fact.
There is no fix coming from Apple.
Your phone is broken, but worse you don't seem to understand that.

Um did you read apples letter? They certainly did not admit to any kind of hardware issue.

 

[dmelgar]

This has to be a joke. You realize every phone experiences this issue?

Phones experience attenuation, but not detuning. Only phones with external antennas in contact with skin experience detuning. There's only one phone I know of that meets that criteria.

 

[iphoneguy123]

This has to be a joke. You realize every phone experiences this issue?

Wrong.