[stevyo]

Will the new 4S have the same antennae issues as the 4? Or has it been fixed?

[macintologist]

It's been fixed

[imitchellg5]

Completely different antennae system that can actually switch between two different antennas on the fly. Theoretically, it shouldn't be capable of failing.

[ibook_steve]

There's no way in hell that Apple will ever let anything like Antennagate ever happen again.

Steve

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by stevyo 

Will the new 4S have the same antennae issues as the 4?

Only if you're holding it wrong

-t

[subego]

Originally Posted by imitchellg5 

it shouldn't be capable of failing.

Nice jinx.

[stevyo]

Haha, as long as I don't have "Fat sweaty American hands" Unbelievable iPhone 4 tech support call recorded!! - YouTube

[Waragainstsleep]

You sound like Doofy.

He's been kinda quiet recently no?

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep 

You sound like Doofy.

He's been kinda quiet recently no?

Yep. He got fed up after the RR (Railroader) ban incident.

-t

[Big Mac]

RR ban? Reading Railroad?

[amazing]

Unfortunately, Walt Mossberg didn't have anything nice to say about the antenna:

"Apple claims to have improved voice-call reception in the iPhone 4S, allowing the phone to switch between two antennas to pick up the best signal. But my AT&T model dropped too many calls, just as earlier AT&T iPhones do. My colleague’s Verizon iPhone 4S dropped none."

iPhone 4S Review - Walt Mossberg - Personal Technology - AllThingsD

But Walt did have some nice things to say about Siri:

"It also answers in a friendly fashion, saying things like “Coming right up” or “I’m not sure what you said, Walt.” And it has some cute answers built in. When I asked it “What’s the best phone?” it said, “Wait… there are other phones?”"

[amazing]

double post

[The Godfather]

I read that review and it lacks science and rigor. For example, it qualifies the Verizon 4S as a world phone able to use GSM services outside its country of sale, but stops in purpose before saying that you will pay roaming charges in your monthly bill.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by The Godfather 

I read that review and it lacks science and rigor. For example, it qualifies the Verizon 4S as a world phone able to use GSM services outside its country of sale, but stops in purpose before saying that you will pay roaming charges in your monthly bill.

Would you really have to pay roaming charges if you use a CDMA-contracted phone on a GSM network?

I thought you'd have to buy a GSM SIM card anyway, and if that comes with roaming charges, you're doing it wrong.

[CharlesS]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

Would you really have to pay roaming charges if you use a CDMA-contracted phone on a GSM network?

I thought you'd have to buy a GSM SIM card anyway, and if that comes with roaming charges, you're doing it wrong.

Haha, you clearly haven't had much experience with US cell phone providers if you think they wouldn't take advantage of every possible opportunity to wring you dry. Verizon will include a SIM card that will only take effect when you're in another country, at which you will get smacked with huge roaming charges. What's more, the phone will be locked to accept only the Verizon SIM so that you can't put a local GSM SIM card in, and you'll have to pay the huge roaming fees. That's the way it's always worked with the AT&T version.

Oddly enough, though, I've heard that the Sprint version actually is unlocked, which would be a first.

[Spheric Harlot]

^ Is that speculation, or is this known?

If Verizon, a CDMA carrier, sells you a GSM SIM card with the explicit string that the phone is SIM-locked, even though the carrier doesn't offer GSM, then that is an unfathomably bastard move.

Then again, AT&T won't unlock iPhones even after the contract is up, which is certainly illegal in most countries, and unethical in all.

[CharlesS]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

^ Is that speculation, or is this known?

It's known. It's also how VZW has typically sold world phones in the past (I know the Droid 2 Global worked this way, for instance). They include a SIM card that's only good for roaming, and lock the phone to that. I do think that they will eventually unlock the phone after you've been on their service for long enough, unlike AT&T, but it is definitely SIM locked when you get it.

If Verizon, a CDMA carrier, sells you a GSM SIM card with the explicit string that the phone is SIM-locked, even though the carrier doesn't offer GSM, then that is an unfathomably bastard move.

That may be, but it's pretty par for the course with American cell phone providers. The only one that ever does anything half-decent for the customer is T-Mobile, which of course AT&T is about to consume.

[Spheric Harlot]

What swine.

[amazing]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

What swine.

Hence the proverb that strewing iPhones before swine is not going to get you anywhere.

[Big Mac]

Let's not get ahead of ourselves:

Verizon and Sprint to offer GSM unlocking of iPhone 4S | Electronista

It has been widely reported above and elsewhere that Verizon will unlock the World Phone capability of the iPhone 4S by request after 60 days of paid service. Sprint, it is claimed, will have the SIM unlocked from day one. Meanwhile, so far we've heard of no change to AT&T's dastardly policy of denying that iPhones locked to it can ever be unlocked. As far as we know right now, it's AT&T that's the true swine, not Verizon. Of course, AT&T also has the faster but less reliable network and slightly cheaper service.

[Cold Warrior]

Has anyone put their iPhone 4 and 4S into field test mode to measure RSSI instead of bars? I need to upload some screen caps, but side-by-side comparisons of my summer 2010 iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S show the 4S with a lot better RSSI in places where my 4 struggles. In one example in one area at home I was getting -95 while the 4S was -80. I also gave the iPhones the grip of death and watched the 4's RSSI plunge while the 4S held strong.

Field test mode is *3001#12345#*

[Waragainstsleep]

Sprints GSM policy is the same as Verizon.

[Le Flaneur]

I'm a bit mystified. I had read various articles (and Apple documentation) about how the two antennas on the iPhone 4s -- and the ability to switch between them -- resolved the infamous "death grip" problem on the iPhone 4. So when I purchased my iPhone 4s today, the first thing I did was insert my T-Mobile SIM (I purchased an unlocked phone) and tried holding the iPhone 4s in exactly the same position as before (in the lower left hand side), and sure enough, I saw 4 bars drop to 3, then 2, then 1, and "Searching..." Sometimes it would recover to one bar, sometimes not. Or put more objectively, in field test mode, I see RSSI go from -76 or so to -102 when I'm holding the iPhone 4S in a death grip.

But nothing that suggests that the iPhone 4s was switching to the other antenna.

I thought that I might have a bad phone, so I requested a swap, but the replacement did the same thing.

Is my experience really unique?

[Cold Warrior]

Consumer Reports says the death grip has been fixed. My own experience bears this out. But on Tmo you're 2G only, no 3G. Perhaps the adaptive switching and physical antennas are exclusive to 3G? I'll try on my 4S a little late and see what happens.

[Le Flaneur]

Originally Posted by Cold Warrior 

Consumer Reports says the death grip has been fixed. My own experience bears this out. But on Tmo you're 2G only, no 3G. Perhaps the adaptive switching and physical antennas are exclusive to 3G? I'll try on my 4S a little late and see what happens.

Do you have a T-Mobile SIM? Otherwise, I don't see how you could test, because the baseband on the 4S doesn't allow one to turn off 3G

[Cold Warrior]

You're right, I'd forgotten about the 4S not having a 3G toggle. I'll be in a 2G-only area within a week and can try it then.

[Le Flaneur]

Originally Posted by Cold Warrior 

You're right, I'd forgotten about the 4S not having a 3G toggle. I'll be in a 2G-only area within a week and can try it then.

Thanks -- I'm fascinated to know whether (and why) the antenna improvements would be limited to 2G.