Warning: New Apple 4th-Gen iPhone May Have Serious Flaws
Many of our readers use iPhones to run ballistics programs and to access travel maps and weather reports. We CAUTION readers who may be planning to purchase a new Apple iPhone 4 (Fourth Generation), first released on June 24th: Wait until the flaws are fixed.
You May Want to Hold Off on Purchasing a iPhone 4
We know many of you guys are anxious to get the latest iPhone 4… but we strongly advise you to wait a week or two at least. Or perhaps wait a few months until an improved version of the new iPhone is available. The reason for this advice is simple — the glass panels on the new iPhone are prone to cracking, and there is a serious reception problem on many of the latest generation of iPhones.
iPhone 4 Major Problems
We suggest readers WAIT before purchasing an iPhone 4, based on issues we observed ourselves, as well as thousands of reports that are flooding in. There are three main problems.
1. Many iPhone 4s have hardware-related reception problems causing dropped calls. This is apparently caused by hand interference with the antenna.
2. The iPhone 4’s front screen and back plate, which are composed of a new, ultra-hard Aluminosilicate glass, are very prone to cracking. We observed this first-hand.
3. Some iPhone 4 users are reporting yellow blotches and other abnormal screen discolorations. This is apparently a manufacturing defect.
Cracked Glass on Faceplate and Backplate
On June 24th, we went to the shooting range. One of our shooters, Katrina, had just acquired a brand new iPhone 4. She carried it in a protective belt holster. After a couple hours of shooting from a sitting position at the bench, she tried to make a call, only to find that the front glass screen had a full-width diagonal crack. This phone was never dropped, tossed, or abused in any way. While the screen needs to be replaced, Katrina’s iPhone is still able to make calls — the first one of which went to Apple customer support.
Many reports are surfacing about broken iPhone 4 glass. Unlike our experience with Katrina’s phone, most of the breakages appear to be on the back plate. You’ll find reports of the breakages in the Apple forums and on major tech websites.
Gizmodo.com reports: “Cases of broken iPhone 4’s backs are already appearing. This hasn’t changed from previous generations…. But the difference is that the iPhone 4 is all glass. If you drop any other phone, you have a 50% chance of breaking its screen. With the iPhone 4, the risk will always be there, no matter how it falls. It’s just more exposed to damage because of the material choice.” Another breakage report.
CNET confirms the cracking glass problem in iPhone 4s, and has already published a do-it-yourself YouTube video showing how to replace the glass rear plate.
Reception and Dropped Call Problem
There is a widespread problem with iPhone 4s losing reception when held in the hand. The video below shows how just picking up the iPhone and holding it normally will cause loss of reception. The problem appears to be hand contact with the iPhone 4’s metal frame, which serves as the antenna.
An article in Gizmodo.com addresses the issue: “There’s no great fix for the iPhone 4 reception issues right now. We’re also pretty sure—and Apple confirms it—that touching the antenna does affect things—whether or not it has the final result of killing calls or speed of data connection.”
Rubber Bumper Partial Reception Fix?
Here is a further CNET video report confirming the reception issue with multiple iPhone 4 test units. The problem is more acute with some users than others, and CNET did suggest that installing a $30 rubber bumper may help with the problem. Tests by igear360.com show that bumper can raise iPhone 4 downloading speeds, but uploading speeds still suffer substantially. Click here for iPhone bumper tests.
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Guys, if you are going to post alarmist news about a new product, AT LEAST get the product correct- there is no such thing as a 4G iPhone. The new iPhone is called “iPhone 4″ because it runs version 4.0 of the iPhone OS, NOT because it is 4G. ATT does not yet offer 4G and the iPhone most definitely does not support 4G in it’s current form.
Though Apple calls its product the iPhone 4, the new iPhone is widely referred to as the 4G (for Fourth Generation) as defined in the first paragraph of the article. Among the major media that use the term “iPhone 4G” are: CNet.com, DigitalTrends.com, Computerworld.com, HuffingtonPost.com, eWeek.com, InformationWeek.com, and TechNewsDaily.com.
We never said this was “4G” for connectivity, but rather 4G for Fourth Generation. But to eliminate confusion regarding 4G service, we’ll remove the “G”.
The article is not alarmist hyperbole. We have observed the product failings first hand, and there are now thousands of consumer reports of problems.
Jay, why is this alarmist news? It’s informative news for consumers who want a heads-up.
But, to be fair, most fan-boys will buy this without even checking, or possibly caring.
The scary thing about these flaws is they are things that should have been identified very early on in any tests Apple did.
If touching the antenna is detrimental as it appears to be, that does beg the question of just how is one supposed to hold the phone to place a call. Apple is renowned for usability testing and that would seem to be a gigantic fail.
Although I agree with your advice to wait a month or more before purchasing any new product, the 4 people that I know that have the new iPhone have experienced none of the problems described.
That said, with an estimated 1.5 million iPhones 4 sold in the first day or so, complaints from as many as 3000 people would still be only a few tenths of a percent of the overall units sold. That would be like my posting on a competeing website that the accurateshooter.com server must be down because my neighbors and I can’t logon even though the other 11345 members can.
The iPhone 4 reviews are very good and Apple makes great products. I might just have to ditch my Blackberry and get the new iPhone. After waiting a month or so.
Ryan,
This is what happens when product designers, not to mention Tech reviewers and “early adopters”, focus on non-essential bells and whistles rather than the critical functions of a phone (be it smart or otherwise). For years, we have been given more apps and features, with little or no improvement in call quality, real-world battery life, or product durability. Apple’s engineers are not the only people to blame. I recently read a 6-page online review of an HTC smart phone on a major Tech website. In the entire 2500-word product review, there was not one sentence devoted to audio quality, or reception quality, or call dropping, or how well the virtual keyboard worked to “dial” calls. As long as smart phone reviewers and buyers don’t pay attention to the “important stuff” we can expect more “gigantic fails” like the new iPhone 4.
To call any new product a “gigantic fail” after less than a week of product life does seem to be “alarmist”.