Consumer Reports Disses Verizon iPhone

Posted Feb 25, 2011 at 9:36PM EST by QJ Staff

Listed in: Apple iPhone 4 Tags: "antennagate", antenna problems, apple, ios

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Verizon iPhone buyers who were hoping that Apple had corrected the problem dubbed “antennagate” will be disappointed to hear that the newer version of the popular smartphone is beset by the same glitch as the AT&T model released last summer. Consumer Reports has run the Verizon iPhone 4 through the same rounds of tests it uses for other smartphones and found that this handset is also prone to connection problems when held certain way. More specifically, when small gaps in the metal band surrounding the edge of the Verizon iPhone are covered, users suffer a “meaningful decline in performance.” In areas with a weak signal, this can mean dropped calls. For this reason, Consumer Reports will not include the Verizon iPhone on its list of recommended smartphones. Apple was quick to deny the magazine’s findings, as spokeswoman Natalie Kerris released this statement: “The iPhone 4 has a great antenna that allows it to have an amazingly thin design, great battery life and reception. We designed the iPhone 4 external antenna to work great on Verizon's CDMA/EVDO network.” When the same problem arose with the AT&T phone, Apple provided buyers with free bumper cases that somewhat alleviated the glitch—will they do this again? I doubt it, since that would mean admitting there’s a problem in the first place. Is Consumer Reports being a tad too picky? Their summation reads, “The phone performs superbly in most other respects, and using the iPhone 4 with a case can alleviate the problem.” Does that mean the iPhone 4 is good, but not good enough?

Although most iPhone 4 users are happy with their phones, this new report on an old mistake could discourage some buyers who may be torn between the iPhone 4 and one of the snazzy new Android models with a smaller price tag. With less than four months left to wait, maybe holding out for the iPhone 5 will be smarter than buying an iPhone 4 now, from either carrier.

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