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New 16GB iphone worse reception the prior iphones

S

ScottL

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 12, 2008
28
0
Perhaps I am the only one who didn't know this, but my new 16GB iphone apparently has worse reception than older iphones e.g. my iphone had 0 bars of reception while an older iphone placed right next to mine had 2 bars of reception. Are there any iphones currently sold that have the better reception e.g. the one currenlty sold for $99 (iphone 3g I think it is)?

My needs are simple as I mainly intend using this as a PDA and don't need lots of memory, but if I ever need the phone for an emergency and there is the "built in" worse reception of ATT (vs e.g. verizon) + the worse reception of the newer iphone that might be a problem.

Thanks for your help.
 
ScottL said:
Perhaps I am the only one who didn't know this, but my new 16GB iphone apparently has worse reception than older iphones e.g. my iphone had 0 bars of reception while an older iphone placed right next to mine had 2 bars of reception. Are there any iphones currently sold that have the better reception e.g. the one currenlty sold for $99 (iphone 3g I think it is)?

My needs are simple as I mainly intend using this as a PDA and don't need lots of memory, but if I ever need the phone for an emergency and there is the "built in" worse reception of ATT (vs e.g. verizon) + the worse reception of the newer iphone that might be a problem.

Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...

Note: YOUR new iPhone has worse reception than YOUR old iPhone

Lest we start a thread implying that this is a known issue, problem or it's widespread :)
 
samcraig said:
Note: YOUR new iPhone has worse reception than YOUR old iPhone

Lest we start a thread implying that this is a known issue, problem or it's widespread :)
Click to expand...

The old iPhone was not mine FWIW, but several people I've talked to since I posted have iphones and were aware of this issue i.e. I gather IT IS A KNOWN ISSUE i.e. it is known that new iphones have poorer reception than old ones.
 
FWIW, I've had my 16gb 3GS almost a week and get the same reception and service in the areas I travel. I'm working in a different school this week and don't get reception deep inside, but no one does. There's been no difference that I can see, I've been using data and voice with no troubles yet.

What other factors come into play here:

Do you have WiFi turned on? (connected or not connected to network)
Bluetooth?

Have you restored? If you're still having troubles, call/take it to Apple.
 
My new 3gs is the same. I get terrible reception and horrible speeds on it. The apps may run smoother (sometimes), however my 2g was much better. I'm surprised by how much I ended up disliking my 3gs. The 2g had much better reception for me. Even the EDGE speeds were better than some of the 3G speeds that I am getting now.
 
I'm in an out of the way place in upstate NY (Rhinebeck). 3 people each with a new 16GB iPhone had 0-1 bar in the same place that someone who bought an iphone in May 2009 (guess it would be the 3G) had 2 bars. I'm taking my iphone back and getting the 3G.

Clearly apple made some tradeoffs figuring that the most optimum reception would rank lower on most people's list than many other things, and I don't blame them. I just have different priorities.

"The 2g had much better reception for me." This confirms that the tradeoffs apple made didn't just start when they went from the 3g to the 3GS.
 
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