Like a lot of people, I was up very early this morning to secure my place in line for an iPhone 4. After 5 hours of waiting I finally got my hands on one, but after the sim had been activated, I began to notice the same unusual signal problems that have been widely reported online.
Bizarrely, when you’re holding the iPhone 4 (particularly in your left hand,) the signal drops down one bar at a time until there’s nothing left, resulting in dropped calls.
iPhone 4 - Out Now
It turns out that it’s caused by your palm bridging the two antennas on the phone, causing the 3G antenna to ‘detune’ and lose signal.
Fortunately, there is a really quick and simple fix that requires no technical knowledge at all. All you need to do is get yourself an iPhone 4 Case!
It doesn’t matter too much which style you go for, as long as it’s non-conductive and puts a barrier between your hand and the stainless steel band that runs around the sides of your iPhone 4.
There are 4 cases that I’d recommend to solve this problem, an iPhone 4 FlexiShield, an iPhone 4 Bumper, an iPhone 4 Silicone Case or a Cygnett iPhone 4 Snaps Duo. Here’s why:
FlexiShield Skins are by far our most popular case. They’re made from a tough, thin gel and cover the back and sides of the iPhone, leaving the screen and buttons fully accessible. As they wrap around to the front of the phone, they completely cover the metal sides of the phone, eliminating any chance of you touching the antenna.
iPhone 4 FlexiShield Skin
These covers from Cygnett are similar to the iPhone 4 Bumpers from Apple, but cost less and come in a twin pack. They completely cover the sides of the phone and give it a little more bounced when dropped, but most importantly prevent you from catching the antenna. Another nice touch is that they also include 2 iPhone 4 screen protectors – one for the front and one for the back of the phone.
Cygnett Snaps Duo for iPhone 4
Silicone Cases are great value for money. They’re similar in many ways to FlexiShield skins, but are thinner and more flexible. They don’t offer quite as much protection as a FlexisShield, but will still cover up the antenna and prevent you from touching it.
iPhone 4 Silicone Case
Apple’s first case for the iPhone caught people by surprise at the Keynote presentation earlier this month, but having now played with iPhone 4, I can see why Apple thought it necessary to develop these cases – to prevent the signal loss. The bumpers are made from a combination of plastic and rubber and completely cover the edges of your phone.
Apple's new iPhone 4 Bumpers
Apple iPhone Bumpers aren’t the cheapest iPhone 4 Case, but they are made to Apple’s usual high standard and have ‘push through’ metal buttons to control volume control and to turn the phone on/off.
Most of these iPhone 4 Cases are available now, but as it’s launch day, you may find that some of these sell out quite quickly. We’re expecting more iPhone 4 Cases to arrive daily over the course of the next few weeks, so keep an eye on the Mobile Fun Blog for updates.
it wouldn’t surprise me! Either that or they realised it happened quite late on in testing and thought “uh-oh, whats a quick fix for this?”
I’m loving the phone so far, just need to decide on a case that’s going to let the world know I’ve got an iPhone 4 :-D
I wonder if this was why Apple decided to sell these bumpers? Maybe they should of thrown one in for free!