Like most of the early reviewers, when Walt Mossberg got the iPhone 4, the antennae issue was still unknown, and didn’t surface till after his story was printed. Now, after six weeks of heavy usage, and purchasing an extra phone just for himself, the godfather of Tech writers has weighed in on the phone again.
He freely admits that this is entirely based on personal experience, but the guy definitely puts gadgets through their paces. So, how does he feel after an additional month and a half of use, even with the antennae problems dogging at his heels?
After my six weeks of constant use of two iPhone 4s, I still believe it is, overall, the best device in its class, for reasons including its ultra high-resolution screen; easy, integrated video calling; slick software; strong battery life; a remarkably thin body; and a world-beating selection of 225,000 third-party apps
As for reception, I am sticking with my initial conclusions. I have found that in areas with average or strong AT&T coverage and capacity, the iPhone performs better than its predecessor and about as well as other AT&T smartphones I’ve recently tested. It still drops too many calls for my taste on AT&T’s heavily stressed network.
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[I]n areas where I had good or just adequate reception, the iPhone 4 performed better than its predecessor, dropping fewer calls.
In weak coverage areas, however, I continue to find that the iPhone 4 performs worse than the 3GS.
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So that’s my six-week, real-world report. Despite the hot-spot issue and the exposed antenna, the iPhone 4 does better than the 3GS for me in decent coverage. But I still wouldn’t advise adopting it as your primary phone if you live, work or travel in areas with poor AT&T reception, or if you prefer a network under less stress.
TL;DR? It’s not perfect, but it’s better than the 3GS in general.
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So Walt’s saying if you’re in a 5 bar situation, you wont notice the issues so much. Unfortunately, most users are not in good signal areas…cause there are few of them.
I agree its hard to hate the IP4 but until the all major issues are fixed:
a. Proximity Sensor
b. Antenna
I dont think this follow-up was appropriate.
A strong signal doesn’t always mean 5 bars. You can certainly carry a conversation and download data comfortable even at 3 bars. I usually travel in the outer boros of NYC and also Long Island. I consistently have a decent signal but there are spots where coverage is iffy. In those situations the phone will revert to “E” and still provide me with adequate signal to make a call. There will be no change to the firmware to address the antenna situation. I think users in fringe areas may want rethink having an AT&T smartphone in those areas.
The proximity sensor only effects some phones. I always switch the handset to hide the digits while I am on a call so I don’t accidentally cheek a digit to my caller. I’m still amazed by the capabilities of this IP4. Lovin’ it!!!
I have has my iPhone 4 for 3 days now. I can say 100% it is hands down way better than my iPhone 3G I previously used. The only thing i am not too sure about is it’s shape. Yes it’s thinner but it doesn’t feel as good in your hand. And it ” feels” heavy.
Oh and it gets better reception in poor areas near my house. Where calls would drop on my 3G I don’t drop on the 4.