Tech consultancy confirms general smartphone grip issue, but finds iPhone 4 especially vulnerable

Stephen Withers
Monday, 02 August 2010 10:27

Your IT - Mobility

Independent testing by PA Consulting supports Apple CEO Steve Jobs' claim that most smartphones have antenna weaknesses, but finds the iPhone 4 does not perform as well in this regard as certain BlackBerry and HTC models.

UK-based PA Consulting Group has found that while the iPhone 4's performance is "comparable" to other smartphones, the 'death grip' does result in significantly worse performance.

PA compared the performance of the iPhone 4 with the BlackBerry 9700 and HTC HD2. In most of the tests, the iPhone 4's performance was in the same range as the other two, but "consistently at the lower end".

Interestingly, the testers found that a certain grip on the BlackBerry caused as much attenuation as the worst grip on the iPhone 4 that didn't involve bridging the gap between its two antennas.

“Our tests indicate that the 'death grip' issue is real, and is worse for the Apple iPhone 4 than for other smartphones," said Simon Tonks, a wireless technology expert at PA. "The iPhone 4's radio performance was also found to be generally at the lower end," he added.

While the 'death grip' caused enough attenuation to prevent calls being made within a test chamber, that wasn't the case outside - which is where almost all normal people use their phones.

What about the Bumper? Please read on.