The iPhone 4 officially becomes available in the UK today, but users are complaining of disappointing call performance and screen issues with Apple's latest and greatest.
The first - and most major - complaint appears to be a result of the radical design of the antenna, which in the iPhone 4 uses the metal band around the edge of the device. According to BetaNews, when the handset is held with the fingers touching this band - and if you're using it as an actual 'phone, it's going to be difficult to hold it any other way - the signal strength drops through the floor, switching from "four to five bars" to "one bar or 'searching' appears on the screen."
This behaviour isn't limited to BetaNews's Joel Wilcox's iPhone, either, with Gizmodo readers also complaining of the same issues - a sudden drop in signal strength when you pick up the handset, which can result in dropped calls and reduced call quality.
As if issues with using the smartphone to make phone calls wasn't enough, other early iPhone users are reporting problems with the much-vaunted high-resolution 'retina' display. According to CNet, numerous people are complaining of a yellow hue to the display - or, in some cases, obvious yellow spots marring an otherwise sharp and clear screen. Interestingly, this appears to be a very different issue than when the iPhone 3G launched, which featured a display with a different colour temperature prompting similar complaints of a yellow-ish tint.
It's possible that the display issues - which have been confirmed as a problem by Apple, which is offering to replace affected handsets - are a result of the allegedly poor yields that display manufacturer LG Display is experiencing with the new high-res technology.
So far Apple hasn't commented on the possible antenna design issue, but with increasing numbers of users complaining of dropped calls it may have to make a statement soon if only to assuage the fears of those who have not yet upgraded.
Have you already decided that you'll be upgrading to the iPhone 4, or have these reports just reinforced your opinion that it's better to wait until a new revision of the hardware comes out? Share your thoughts over in the forums.
The first - and most major - complaint appears to be a result of the radical design of the antenna, which in the iPhone 4 uses the metal band around the edge of the device. According to BetaNews, when the handset is held with the fingers touching this band - and if you're using it as an actual 'phone, it's going to be difficult to hold it any other way - the signal strength drops through the floor, switching from "four to five bars" to "one bar or 'searching' appears on the screen."
This behaviour isn't limited to BetaNews's Joel Wilcox's iPhone, either, with Gizmodo readers also complaining of the same issues - a sudden drop in signal strength when you pick up the handset, which can result in dropped calls and reduced call quality.
As if issues with using the smartphone to make phone calls wasn't enough, other early iPhone users are reporting problems with the much-vaunted high-resolution 'retina' display. According to CNet, numerous people are complaining of a yellow hue to the display - or, in some cases, obvious yellow spots marring an otherwise sharp and clear screen. Interestingly, this appears to be a very different issue than when the iPhone 3G launched, which featured a display with a different colour temperature prompting similar complaints of a yellow-ish tint.
It's possible that the display issues - which have been confirmed as a problem by Apple, which is offering to replace affected handsets - are a result of the allegedly poor yields that display manufacturer LG Display is experiencing with the new high-res technology.
So far Apple hasn't commented on the possible antenna design issue, but with increasing numbers of users complaining of dropped calls it may have to make a statement soon if only to assuage the fears of those who have not yet upgraded.
Have you already decided that you'll be upgrading to the iPhone 4, or have these reports just reinforced your opinion that it's better to wait until a new revision of the hardware comes out? Share your thoughts over in the forums.
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