Testing the iPhone 4 antenna issue in Singapore
(Credit: Damian Koh/CNET Asia)
The image you see here is an iPhone 4 equipped with a SIM card from Singapore operator StarHub. The external antenna on this mobile phone has been getting a lot of attention because you can apparently cause the signal strength to drop drastically just by holding it a certain way. We tried this when standing outdoors and weren't able to reproduce the drop in signal bars. However, we redid the test indoors and, sure enough, we noticed the bars dropping once we put the iPhone in the "death grip". Watch the video after the jump to see it for yourself.
We haven't demonstrated anything that hasn't already been well-documented by folks in the US and UK. What did surprise us a little was that we couldn't reproduce the signal loss at all outdoors when it was so evident indoors. We suspect the quality of the cellular network has a big part to play in this whole iPhone 4 antenna issue.
Apple is preparing a software "fix" that will change the way this smartphone reports signal strength, but this won't do anything for the antenna as that's obviously a hardware issue. Still, we don't know if Apple will tweak the hardware in future batches of the iPhone 4 (perhaps coat the antenna with plastic?) so that users cannot come into direct contact with the metal part to cause interference. We'll test this out once commercial units meant for this market are available in Singapore.
About the author
Editor John Chan's love for gadgets can be traced back to the days when he disassembled his toys and couldn't put them back together again. He practices great restraint in not opening up every review product that comes through the CNET Asia Labs, and before that, in his previous job at HardwareZone. He has reviewed items big and small, from mobile phones to projectors and feels everyone should carry a multitool at all times in case of MacGyver situations.
Latest comments
Ohhhh give it up already .... "smile" if you dont think this great device is for you ...well you sure dont have to buy it...but thanks sir for the demo...oh and you guys dont really want that phone do ya"? please let me have it :-) no grip of death hands here :-)
i think this is such a useless video. u do not show using or NOT using the "death grip" to show full comparison. sorry, john, but u need to be able to better demonstrate, that the signal loss is not cos of bad signal indoors regardless. also, how many times, have u or i, wiggled the fone (any handset) to get a better signal?
Not the greatest performance but can't see it putting anyone off purchasing. Maybe just an increase in case sales...
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