iPhone X iPhone X cellular signal strength

[gahig ulo]

yes i notice loss of bar on my verizon X with att sim so probably is not about qualcomm vs intel.maybe a design flaw?i tried comparing it with my 7 plus(simfree)on the speedtest app and its pretty much identical so probably they have the same chipset

 

[Jjayf]

I’ve actually noticed the same thing sort of... there is a cell tower across the street from work. My 6 always showed full bars, but my X shows only 2. I haven’t noticed any drop in call quality or reception, so I have chalked it up to just being a different scale.

 

[rdugan]

All the snarky comments about bars not reliably representing actual signal strength are not only not helpful, but are actually distracting from what is possibly a real issue here. I also experienced a drop from a consistent 4 bars on my ATT (qualcomm) iphone 6 to 2 bars on my A1901 (intel) iphone X. Looking at the FTM numbers on both, while side by side, connected to the same tower, I find the iphone 6 numbers to be complete nonsense (RSRP values in the -30s, when -75 should be the max,) while my first readings on the X were around -110dBm, as I would expect based on the bars. After restarting my X a few times, i've come back up to 4 bars, and ~ -90dBm RSRP measurements - about a 100x increase in signal strength from nothing but a restart - and it seems to be sticking there for the moment. The weird thing is, I noticed this signal strength reset after a previous power cycle, but over time the signal strength drifted back down to ~110dBm and stayed there - almost like there's some kind of memory, or degradation based on uptime or connection age.

 

[daraj]

All the snarky comments about bars not reliably representing actual signal strength are not only not helpful, but are actually distracting from what is possibly a real issue here. I also experienced a drop from a consistent 4 bars on my ATT (qualcomm) iphone 6 to 2 bars on my A1901 (intel) iphone X. Looking at the FTM numbers on both, while side by side, connected to the same tower, I find the iphone 6 numbers to be complete nonsense (RSRP values in the -30s, when -75 should be the max,) while my first readings on the X were around -110dBm, as I would expect based on the bars. After restarting my X a few times, i've come back up to 4 bars, and ~ -90dBm RSRP measurements - about a 100x increase in signal strength from nothing but a restart - and it seems to be sticking there for the moment. The weird thing is, I noticed this signal strength reset after a previous power cycle, but over time the signal strength drifted back down to ~110dBm and stayed there - almost like there's some kind of memory, or degradation based on uptime or connection age.

I think the phone is aggressive at switching LTE bands hence the signal fluctuation im having,

 

[manzo]

While the comments about bars not representing actual signal strength may be accurate, the reality is that people are having problems with signal strength on the iPhone X. My office desk is in the same place now as it was when I owned an iPhone 7 plus two weeks ago. I place my iPhone X in exactly the same location and position as I did with the 7 plus, but now I routinely have callers tell me that they can no longer hear me mid-call. At first I thought it was my bluetooth headset, so I eliminated that and started using speaker phone. I've disabled noise reduction (accessibility feature) and still callers are saying that, when I answer or call or call them, they hear me for a few seconds to a minute and then can no longer hear me. I bought my wife an iPhone X the same day I bought mine and hers replaced an iPhone 6s. She has the same problem. iPhone 6s maintained calls at our house and now the iPhone X does not. Something is wrong with the iPhone X. Not sure if it's hardware, firmware or software, but there's no doubt in my mind that something is wrong.

 

[haruhiko]

My last iPhone the iPhone 7 Plus was with an Intel modem. And I experienced very very poor connection in the subway of Hong Kong, basically everyone around you is going to Facebook, watching videos, texting, and only I was not able to get online. Carrier problems aside, this has to be something wrong with the iPhone.

After I switched to iPhone X (this time I'm at the mercy of Apple, the model sold in Hong Kong is with Qualcomm modem). 90% of my connection problems went away. Probably it's the design of the phone or the modem. I can't tell. But I'm very happy with the iPhone X now.

 

[MBHockey]

I get better service with the X than I did with my SE. I have a gym in my building and i was usually on 1x down there (Verizon). Now with the X, i have LTE most of the time, occasionally dropping down to 3G. It's a huge difference for me because now I can stream Spotify whereas I could not before.

 

[CongressDJ]

I am having a similar issue, although with a different manifestation. I use FaceTime Audio (AT&T) almost exclusively for my calls. I also have a 30 mile commute through an urban corridor well covered with cell towers. For the past year, I have been on the phone for almost the entirety of that commute using FaceTime audio. On my 7+, the signal and call quality was nearly flawless except for one well known dead spot. With my X, the FaceTime Audio call (using data, of course) will at some point drop to 4G. With it, the quality goes to crap and the person on the other end will not be able to hear almost anything of what I’m saying. The iPhone X will not reacquire an LTE signal afterwards for up to the entirety of the commute - sometimes for 45 minutes. The only way for the X to reacquire LTE is for me to hang up, switch to airplane mode, then switch back. When this happens, LTE returns to full strength.

This NEVER happened on my 7+.

I was going to call AT&T or visit a store and have them re-provision my account. I remember this happening with my iPhone 3G many years ago and fix the problem. However, it seems like many people are having similar antenna and call quality issues with the X and AT&T.

 

[CastleLogic]

I am having a similar issue, although with a different manifestation. I use FaceTime Audio (AT&T) almost exclusively for my calls. I also have a 30 mile commute through an urban corridor well covered with cell towers. For the past year, I have been on the phone for almost the entirety of that commute using FaceTime audio. On my 7+, the signal and call quality was nearly flawless except for one well known dead spot. With my X, the FaceTime Audio call (using data, of course) will at some point drop to 4G. With it, the quality goes to crap and the person on the other end will not be able to hear almost anything of what I’m saying. The iPhone X will not reacquire an LTE signal afterwards for up to the entirety of the commute - sometimes for 45 minutes. The only way for the X to reacquire LTE is for me to hang up, switch to airplane mode, then switch back. When this happens, LTE returns to full strength.

This NEVER happened on my 7+.

I was going to call AT&T or visit a store and have them re-provision my account. I remember this happening with my iPhone 3G many years ago and fix the problem. However, it seems like many people are having similar antenna and call quality issues with the X and AT&T.

[doublepost=1511816099][/doublepost]I am having the same issue with my Verizon iPhone X. I previously had much better coverage with both my iphone 6 & 8 but since switching to the X I often lose reception in the middle of a call. I will be talking with someone when suddenly they can no longer hear me. My wife is having the same problem with the X as well. Has anyone been able to correct this issue?

 

[dejanh]

I have been dealing with the low signal/drop to 3G/cannot connect to LTE issue for the past two weeks wth my iPhone X and wanted to chime in here with what I have observed so far. I have the unique privilege to personally own multiple devices, specifically the Samsung Galaxy S8+, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 6s Plus, BlackBerry KeyOne Black Edition, and Essential PH-1. I have also now owned a total of 3 iPhone X devices. I can unfortunately corroborate that there is some kind of serious cellular connectivity problem with the iPhone X that does not affect any other device. If I take my SIM (I even tried brand new SIM), and put it into any of the aforementioned phones that are not the iPhone X, including Apple's current and past offerings, I lock onto an LTE signal almost instantly and have full service with a strong signal. I do not experience any dropouts, dropped/missed calls, or any other type of problem with data or voice coverage. Not so with the X.

Every single iPhone X that I have had so far exhibits the same problems. More often than not iPhone X refuses to connect to LTE and prefers to drop down and stay on 3G. This is in perfectly working LTE areas. When it does acquire LTE signal, it has a tendency to drop out, with signal bars still fluctuating and showing a connection, but data and voice are down. As stated here, sometimes acquiring an LTE signal can take a very long time. Most extreme I have seen approached 24 hours. Mind you, if I look at the cell service menu, the phone sees the towers but just keeps on cycling through them and not connecting until it eventually gives up and just settles on 3G. Reception has also been atrocious in-itself. For example, yesterday I was located in the same space as my wife, her on an iPhone 8 Plus, me on an iPhone X. I had no service, she had two bars and stable service. Same cell tower, same Geo-location (within 3 meters). Even putting the iPhone 8 Plus side by side with the iPhone X, connected to the same tower on the same OS, everything the same, the 8 Plus consistently measures 20%-30% better readings regarding signal power, quality, and signal-to-noise ratio.

Throughout this time I have been working with Apple to try to resolve this issue. I have done full hardware replacements, and tried devices from different batches. This had no effect and my case is still open. Most recently, I have allowed Apple to log my device telephony for a period of ~24 hours. I have provided 1.7GB worth of diagnostic logs to Apple engineering analyze and they have been looking at them apparently but I do not have a response yet.

This type of behavior has been the same on three different iPhone X devices. They were from different batches, though all the same model, A1901, which uses the Intel modem. The only obvious difference between these devices and all others listed above is that all others I listed above actually use the Qualcomm modem. Take that for what it's worth. I do not know the cause, but it is one obvious difference. Having said that, the fact that we have a few Verizon users here that would definitely be using the Qualcomm modem makes me concerned that this might be an antenna design issue. I am still hoping it is a firmware issue.

 

[mcdj]

Yeah cause it hasn't been tested that the Intel modem sucks. /s

Yeah cause people with a Qualcomm modem don’t cling to a tiny smattering of reports of a slightly better signal like it was the secret to understanding the universe, while totally ignoring the infinite variables that render said report all but useless in the real world.

 

[PhillyGuy72]

It seems that the cellular signal strength on my iPhone X is weaker than that on my previous iPhone 7. This seems to hold true for all reception areas. I’m basing this on the number of reception bars. Anyone else experiencing this?

YES! I have AT&T also and simply 1 bar on my X...maybe 2, it kind of fluctuates every 20, 30 seconds. I have the phone in my office - like previous iPhones and I always had 3, 4 bars with those, no issues with calls.

I spoke to my friend from this room last Wednesday and the call quality was terrible! I have made a few calls elsewhere and it has been ok I guess.

 

[mazdamiata210]

YES! I have AT&T also and simply 1 bar on my X...maybe 2, it kind of fluctuates every 20, 30 seconds. I have the phone in my office - like previous iPhones and I always had 3, 4 bars with those, no issues with calls.

I spoke to my friend from this room last Wednesday and the call quality was terrible! I have made a few calls elsewhere and it has been ok I guess.

Same here, with my X sitting on my desk I could watch the signal go from 1 bar to 3 bars within seconds. Not touching the phone, just sitting on my desk unlocked where my 6S+ sat daily on 3 bars.

 

[gahig ulo]

Same here, with my X sitting on my desk I could watch the signal go from 1 bar to 3 bars within seconds. Not touching the phone, just sitting on my desk unlocked where my 6S+ sat daily on 3 bars.

same on mine too less bar but i think same speed so maybe we need a software update?

 

[mazdamiata210]

same on mine too less bar but i think same speed so maybe we need a software update?

Returned mine. Not about to be a $1000 beta tester for Apple. My 6S+ works fine.

 

[gahig ulo]

im gonna keep mine i already gave my 7 plus to my gf.

 

[timsq]

I’ve had several dropped calls. Very much different signal strength than my 7+.. all over the area is similar.. me thinks it’s a software issue.

 

[dejanh]

I have it on pretty good authority now that there is a known issue with connectivity but no current resolution. It is being worked on based the information that I have. I kind of wish I was able to get more detail however that is all I have for now. From what I gathered, the issue may or may not be affecting all devices but it does affect both Intel and Qualcomm modem devices. This is both encouraging and disconcerting. It’s a very expensive device to be beta testing but I hope Apple is quick to fix the problems. This is otherwise a great phone, just not very useful if the data and voice connection is unstable. I now feel more optimistic that a fix will be forthcoming based on my conversations about this issue.

I have another device coming shortly and will see if this will make it 3/3 or 4/4 with the same problem.

 

[EH15]

Do you guys get bad call quality as well? Like one second you can hear the caller fine but the next it becomes extremely quiet and faint. To the point you can't make out anythig they are saying but you can hear that they are talking. It will fluctuate between for the duration of the call.

I also have a no signal problem. Sometimes throughout the day it will go to zero bars, and instead of actively searching for a signal it just sits at zero bars. The only way to get out is by activating and then deactivating Airplane mode.

I'm on my 2nd iPhone X (both Intel) and my second sim card. At this point I have no idea if its the phone, the software, my carrier, or my sim card. Extremely frustrated to say the least.

 

[dejanh]

Do you guys get bad call quality as well? Like one second you can hear the caller fine but the next it becomes extremely quiet and faint. To the point you can't make out anythig they are saying but you can hear that they are talking. It will fluctuate between for the duration of the call.

I also have a no signal problem. Sometimes throughout the day it will go to zero bars, and instead of actively searching for a signal it just sits at zero bars. The only way to get out is by activating and then deactivating Airplane mode.

I'm on my 2nd iPhone X (both Intel) and my second sim card. At this point I have no idea if its the phone, the software, my carrier, or my sim card. Extremely frustrated to say the least.

I have had complaints during calls that I’m fading in and out. My voice wasn’t coming through clearly and consistently. I am not sure if this is related to the connection problem(s) but it is another possible issue/indicator.

 

[EH15]

I have had complaints during calls that I’m fading in and out. My voice wasn’t coming through clearly and consistently. I am not sure if this is related to the connection problem(s) but it is another possible issue/indicator.

My situation is the opposite. My caller can hear me perfectly. Their voice is the one thats fading in and out.

 

[lah]

yes i notice loss of bar on my verizon X with att sim so probably is not about qualcomm vs intel.maybe a design flaw?i tried comparing it with my 7 plus(simfree)on the speedtest app and its pretty much identical so probably they have the same chipset

At one point before I got my X, I had an ATT 7 and a Verizon 7+. The 7 worked perfectly with my ATT SIM, but I always had problems when I used the (unlocked) 7plus on ATT. Very low signal bars, dropped calls etc. Took it to Apple and they said nothing was wrong with it, called ATT and they updated my account and sent a signal to my phone (?), but that slightly helped. I Don’t know what the issue was, but this was a case where definitely the ATT SIM preferred the ATT model, the unlocked phone always gave me poor cell reception compared to the ATT phone.

 

[dejanh]

Just a heada up to everyone here that is reporting issues. Take note of the weather conditions when you’re running into issues with your X. Since I have been working directly with Apple on this issue I have been keeping fairly detailed logs of everything, and I noticed now that there is a direct correlation between the low LTE signal dropping down to 3G whenever it rains outside. This is expected behaviour only insofar as rain causers additional interference and an already low LTE signal reception could easily cause the device to fall back to 3G. I see this exact behaviour, only on the X, since only it has such low signal reception. My other 4 devices, 2 iPhones and 2 Androids do not suffer from this as their base LTE signal is much stronger.

 

[barkomatic]

I have a Verizon iPhone X and a Verizon Note 8 and I've swapped the sim out repeatedly between the two devices. In terms of messaging and call quality they seem identical so far in the two different locations I have used them in. There hasn't been a case so far where I've had service on the Note but not on the iPhone or vice versa.

However, when running speed tests I found that the data connection on the Note 8 was significantly faster and performed better in areas with marginal service and in areas where the signal was saturated. In some cases, the data was three times as fast--which did translate into my everyday use.

The iPhone X is amazing in many regards and it's frustrating that Apple made an apparent compromise in this area. I've read here on Macrumors that Apple is looking to improve antenna design on the next version so that doesn't bode well for any improvement with the current version.

 

[PhillyGuy72]

Same here, with my X sitting on my desk I could watch the signal go from 1 bar to 3 bars within seconds. Not touching the phone, just sitting on my desk unlocked where my 6S+ sat daily on 3 bars.

It's odd. I had 3, even 4 bars late last night. Before coming home I stopped at this deli up the street and this was a total dead zone, I had NO service. Once again it's back down to 2, then 1. Eh...I'm not in a contract with ATT, no NEXT plan, installment nonsense so maybe it's time to dump ATT, I've been with them since 2004 when they were Cingular.

[doublepost=1511905759][/doublepost]

It's odd. I had 3, even 4 bars late last night. Before coming home I stopped at this deli up the street and this was a total dead zone, I had NO service. Once again it's back down to 2, then 1. Eh...I'm not in a contract with ATT, no NEXT plan, installment nonsense so maybe it's time to dump ATT, I've been with them since 2004 when they were Cingular.

If I stick the same SIM card into the iPhone 8+, I'll get 3 bars, down to 2, back to 3. Same location in my home, still in my office where my X is. It doesn't hit 1 bar.
Beats me!