iPhone 4 Corner of Death: Bars vs Dropped Calls


When the iPhone 4 arrived, I immediately noticed something odd with the signal. I was dropping way more calls than on my 3GS around my home. Looking at the signal levels and seeing a pattern, I noticed what we've dubbed the iPhone Corner of Death. As well documented around the Web, including my video, putting skin to the lower left corner of the iPhone 4 causes significant change in signal. That act essentially bridges the iPhones two antennas and causes problems.

Apple reportedly said the signal issues with the iPhone 4 is a fact of life for mobile electronic devices. In deed it is, as I did a second video showing that the iPhone 3GS in fact responds similarly. The problem, however, is that the iPhone 4 appears to not only be much worse, but is configured to cause problems when using a common grip.

So far what I've found is if I am in less than ideal coverage area with my iPhone 4, my iPhone grip appears to be much more likely to drop the call than when on my 3GS. This is using two different iPhone 4 handsets and hours talking with Apple and AT&T technical support. If the signal is strong, the iPhone bars may not even move, and the device is certainly capable of holding a phone call. Typically at my home, my 3GS gets 2-4 bars. AT&T techs described my address as approaching fringe area for 3G coverage, although the Web maps indicate I'm well covered. This may explain why I'm experiencing the dropped calls with the iPhone 4 when others may not. I suspect if they too entered "fringe" areas they may experience problems on the iPhone 4 that may not find on another device.