iPhone 4 experiencing signal drop when antenna band is held?

By Rene Ritchie
last updated

Starting off with a complaint in the MacRumors forums and soliciting other user feedback from there, Gizmodo is compiling a hefty list of people whose brand new iPhone 4 would drop from full bars to next to none -- when they held it by the stainless steel antenna band.

Is it shorting something when both parts are connected by a conductive human hand? Is it a pressure issue? Just some units or all of them?

UPDATE: Engadget says it might happen most frequently when its held in the left hand and skin touches the area where the BT/Wi-Fi/GPS antenna meets the GSM/UMTS antenna.

We don't know yet but if you're having the same problem let us know!

[MacRumors, Gizmodo]

Rene Ritchie
Rene Ritchie
Contributor

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.