Listen up, iPhone 4 owners: get thee to a strong AT&T cell. That’s the advice of Wall Street Journal tech columnist Walt Mossberg on Apple’s latest handset.
Mossberg said the iPhone 4 works best in areas with “average or strong AT&T coverage”, however, he said the iPhone 3GS is a better choice for users living, working or traveling in spots with weak coverage by Apple’s exclusive U.S. carrier partner. AT&T “operates a network that has trouble connecting and maintaining calls in many cities,” he told readers.
Although he noted the reception bars on the iPhone 4 would “fluctuate” when held in the now infamous ‘death grip’ position, Mossberg wasn’t overly concerned. Indeed, he said the bars actually increased in some cases when the antennas were touched. Apple recently announced a free ‘bumper’ offer to lessen complaints of poor reception when the iPhone is held.
Mossberg’s comments followed a six week period of testing, using two iPhone 4 handsets: one review unit from Apple and another the reviewer purchased. This latest review appears to mirror a previous one in which Mossberg praised the new iPhone’s design, but slammed being locked-into AT&T as the only carrier option.
