Original iPhone - tested holding - similar performance

[Thrifty1]

I have the original iPhone and am on the waiting list to get a new iPhone4. After reading all these signal issues depending on how you hold it, I decided to test my original iPhone.

I removed my silicone case. I first held it as I normally would - phone in my left hand covering the lower 40% of the back of the phone. This happens to be the black plastic area where I believe the antenna is behind. Using SpeedTest, I had download speeds averaging 25kbs. I had 3-4 bars.

I then rotated the phone 180 degrees so it was upside down. I held onto as little of the phone as possible (the top part of the phone which was now on the bottom). Using SpeedTest, I had download speeds averaging 100kbs. I still had 3-4 bars.

I ran the above 2 methods 4 times each -- results fluctuated slightly (about 10-15%), but were very close.

This is a 75% data download drop when I hold the phone "normally". I suppose people will say this was an unacceptable design flaw. I say, I have loved my iPhone the past 3 years and it has been the best phone I ever had. I wish I had realized this earlier as I would have adjusted how I held the phone at times.

My point is... it appears there has always been significant drop in data speed depending on how you hold any iPhone.

As for the data totally stopping when touching the gap (I have seen in some videos / posts), I will always use a silicone skin with the new iPhone4 so it won't affect me. For those that don't want to cover their phone, I understand this may be an unacceptable design flaw & I understand your frustration with Apple. If that is the case, you will need to decide if you can avoid touching the phone in that area or if you need to return the phone and wait until it is fixed. If enough phones are returned, I'm sure a manufacturing change will be made (probably a design "tweak" being done right now).

Looking forward to my new iPhone4.

 

[Apple-NoEscape]

Wait. You don't have the iPhone 4 yet? Well realisticly you ant comment on the problem untill you have the phone in question to see what the signal issue is like first hand.

 

[darngooddesign]

Wait. You don't have the iPhone 4 yet? Well realisticly you ant comment on the problem untill you have the phone in question to see what the signal issue is like first hand.

Don't be ridiculous. Of course he can comment on the signal drop on his original phone...which he did.

 

[Savage]

Wait. You don't have the iPhone 4 yet? Well realisticly you ant comment on the problem untill you have the phone in question to see what the signal issue is like first hand.

Jokes?

 

[Apple-NoEscape]

Don't be ridiculous. Of course he can comment on the signal drop on his original phone...which he did.

Yes of course he can comment on his current phone signal as I have done just this week. But this part:

"As for the data totally stopping when touching the gap (I have seen in some videos / posts), I will always use a silicone skin with the new iPhone4 so it won't affect me. For those that don't want to cover their phone, I understand this may be an unacceptable design flaw & I understand your frustration with Apple. If that is the case, you will need to decide if you can avoid touching the phone in that area or if you need to return the phone and wait until it is fixed. If enough phones are returned, I'm sure a manufacturing change will be made (probably a design "tweak" being done right now).

Looking forward to my new iPhone4."

It cannot be said whether using a silicone case will stop him having an issue, as many people still have the issue persist with a case (also proven in many videos and posts), untill after he has tried it.

 

[Aero26]

It cannot be said whether using a silicone case will stop him having an issue.

but thats not the issue at hand...

 

[Thrifty1]

Apple-No-Escape,

Yes - you are correct. I don't have first hand knowledge of how the new iPhone4 will work for me yet. I plan on going to the AT&T store today to see how it works when I hold it in different ways. I also have an iPhone4 case on order. I will wait until that comes in and then try it on a demo at the AT&T or Apple store.

My point was... part of the issue (how you hold the phone vs. performance) does not appear to be new. I was also surprised by the performance difference on my original iPhone depending on how I held it. This issue may be magnified by moving antennas to the exterior of the iphone4. I am hopeful a silicone skin will provide me acceptable performance. I have seen more posts where this has helped vs not helping. As you point out, I will need to see for myself.

Do you have an iPhone4? If so, how has a silicon skin performed for you?

 

[FloridaMac]

I'm sitting here on my lunch break right now...I have an iphone 3G. For the last 10 minutes I've held my phone the way you would typically hold it and every single time I lose at least two bars usually 3 or 4. Most of the time it goes from all five bars down to 1 or 2. Each time I lay it back on the table it goes back to full bars. However, I've had this phone for a while now and have never had a problem with anything. I never bothered to test it like this until now. I have a iP4 on order so we'll see what happens when I get it.