Let’s Test iPhone 4 Antenna in Real Life Scenarios For a Change

Watching countless, virtually identical videos of iPhone 4 being put to the test for signal strength, hearing so-called antenna experts going on about how Apple’s signal bar theory is right or wrong, while tech-journalists report for the hundredth time that iPhone 4 has issues, really makes one say “enough!”

“Why don’t you do some real-life tests for a change?!” is our message to all the sensationalists who were lucky enough to get their hands on the iPhone 4 and test it out. None of the tests published so far feature an iPhone 4 actually dropping a call in mid conversation.

Sure, holding the device by its weak spot will make it display fewer signal bars. Apple themselves admitted that “the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong.” That’s it! No actual reception issues. Just an erroneous way of displaying signal strength.

And while there could be a real reception issue with the iPhone 4, none of these tests seem to confirm it. Everyone’s just fixated with the bars. You can almost feel the testers’ eagerness to witness the bars drop as they bridge the antennae with their hands. Yet, no one is videotaping themselves making calls, or downloading apps over 3G to show that calls really do drop, or that data transfer rates do become sluggish in ‘Grip-of-Death scenarios.’

The most recent example comes from Consumer Reports. The magazine acknowledges that iPhone 4 is a great piece of engineering overall, but says it cannot recommend buying it just yet, because it was able to confirm the antenna issues, using professional testing equipment.

“Consumer Reports' engineers have just completed testing the iPhone 4, and have confirmed that there is a problem with its reception,” their report reads. “When your finger or hand touches a spot on the phone's lower left side—an easy thing, especially for lefties—the signal can significantly degrade enough to cause you to lose your connection altogether if you're in an area with a weak signal. Due to this problem, we can't recommend the iPhone 4,” the magazine states.

They published a video (available below) showing how they tested the iPhone 4. Unlike other examinations, their procedure actually involved an iPhone 4 making a call.


Their test, however, is still not convincing since it doesn’t show the phone actually dropping the call. Viewers only see decibels plummeting on an analog monitor, which pretty much reflects what’s happening on the phone’s own screen (the signal bars) and implicitly confirms Apple’s own explanation.

Again, while Apple may actually have an antenna problem with its new smartphone, such tests do not seem to confirm it.

Since regular users’ experience is probably the most indicative in this case, we encourage actual iPhone 4 owners to post their thoughts in the comments.

As for those who are planning to publish more of these tests, wait at least until Apple issues their promised software fix, will you?