It's a common fact that the new mobile phone models on the market do not withstand temperature fluctuations too well. Moreover, they seem to have issues with cold weather, meaning that, when the temperature goes down towards zero degrees centigrade or below that mark, the battery does not work properly, the performance of the phone is diminished, while the device is likely to turn itself off.

Each phone manufacturer sets instructions on the temperature ranges the handsets should be used in so as to work properly. According to Nokia, its devices can withstand temperatures between 15 and 25 degrees centigrade. At the same time, phones made by companies like Siemens, Sony Ericsson and LG are promoted as working within the -10 to +55 range.

Swedish consumers are among those who are facing some of these problems with their mobile phones due to temperature drops. “If you live in a country with a lot of cold weather and damp then it should be something retailers divulge,” stated Marek Andersson, a lawyer at the Swedish National Board for Consumer Policies (Konsumentverket).

The new generation of phone models that feature a touch screen and no keypad, as Apple's iPhone, also face problems when it comes to lower temperature ranges. According to the iPhone's instructions, the handset can work properly in temperatures going from zero to 35 degrees. “As a consumer one should pay attention and consider the temperature guidelines,” said Marek Andersson.

Nokia, the mobile phone maker that seems to have the most sensitive devices on the market, stated the following: “The reason we write that is that if the phones are subjected to extremely cold temperatures then performance can suffer, the display can for example appear slow. But when the telephones are returned to normal temperatures they work as normal again.”