Nexus 4 - Antennagate / Deathgrip ?

**rents78** · 02-03-2013, 09:12 AM

Hi all,
My nexus 4 seems to be affected by the so called "antennagate" which affected the iPhone4.

- phone on the table: full reception HSPA (signal strength -83dBm, 15 asu)
- grab the phone in my hand: reception drops by 2/3 bars (still HSPA). Sometimes down to 0 bars (signal strength -103dBm, 5 asu)

I have only noticed this at home, maybe cause signal is not as strong?.
I have only had the phone for 2 days, and when outside, this issue does not seem to affect the phone (did not measure drop in signal strength)

Anyone else experiencing this?

Thanks.

**jweimn** · 02-03-2013, 11:18 AM

Originally Posted by rents78

Hi all,
My nexus 4 seems to be affected by the so called "antennagate" which affected the iPhone4.

- phone on the table: full reception HSPA (signal strength -83dBm, 15 asu)
- grab the phone in my hand: reception drops by 2/3 bars (still HSPA). Sometimes down to 0 bars (signal strength -103dBm, 5 asu)

I have only noticed this at home, maybe cause signal is not as strong?.
I have only had the phone for 2 days, and when outside, this issue does not seem to affect the phone (did not measure drop in signal strength)

Anyone else experiencing this?

Thanks.

Never heard of it and no one has posted about this on the forums from what I seem. It could just be a poor signal in your house

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

**rents78** · 02-03-2013, 11:25 AM

Thanks for the answer...
That could be the reason, but my iPhone 4 or my wife's iPhone 3Gs reception does not seem to be affected when picking up in one hand...

**Greg C** · 02-03-2013, 02:12 PM

Sometimes different phone models will have differences in reception.

**nokia4life** · 02-03-2013, 08:56 PM

Agree I'm not seeing any issues I am in att coming from iPhone 5 and have full bars

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

**jinjin12** · 02-03-2013, 11:24 PM

yea it happens to me...i noticed the signal gets bad alot of times. and i've had two nexus 4 phones within that past month btw. happened to both.

**jimrebello** · 02-04-2013, 09:30 PM

I'm not sure its actually a signal issue or just that when the phone is sitting idol/sleeping it always seems to show full signal. Once you start actually using it , it seems to drop to whatever the signal should actually be.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

**still1** · 02-04-2013, 09:40 PM

have full signal even after covering it with my hands at different places.

**jimrebello** · 02-04-2013, 09:54 PM

Yeah I'm thinking its just a poor signal in general.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

**danielcj** · 02-04-2013, 09:58 PM

The only thing I'm seeing is low or intermittent WiFi in locations around my house that usually have strong signals on other devices. Also think that how I hold my phone can affect WiFi signal. Haven't noticed this with cell signal as both work and home are 5 bars.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

**KwietStorm** · 02-05-2013, 12:17 AM

I know what the OP is talking about. It's one of the first things I noticed back in November. If I grip it a certain way, the bars drop, and when I let go, back up they go. I can recreate it anytime I want. But because it's very deliberate, it's not an issue.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

**Bar81** · 02-05-2013, 04:21 AM

My phone had one bar and when I picked it up it went up to two bars!!! Antenna...Profit???

**Citizen Coyote** · 02-05-2013, 08:46 AM

Apple and Steve Jobs told me this is something that affects all smartphones.

(I don't notice any real difference in signal strength or performance based on how I hold my phone, and I don't use a case.)

**omniusovermind** · 03-26-2013, 06:15 AM

Originally Posted by rents78

Hi all,
My nexus 4 seems to be affected by the so called "antennagate" which affected the iPhone4.

- phone on the table: full reception HSPA (signal strength -83dBm, 15 asu)
- grab the phone in my hand: reception drops by 2/3 bars (still HSPA). Sometimes down to 0 bars (signal strength -103dBm, 5 asu)

I have only noticed this at home, maybe cause signal is not as strong?.
I have only had the phone for 2 days, and when outside, this issue does not seem to affect the phone (did not measure drop in signal strength)

Anyone else experiencing this?

Thanks.

Yep. Just discovered it myself day 3 after purchase. And I found out there's hundreds of posts about it on XDA and code.google.com.
The gsm antenna sits exactly where you would completely cover it within your palm if you were holding it in your left hand. But the bars don't really drop noticeably unless you're indoors. I'm none too pleased at discovering this. It's also nothing that can be resolved by RMA. People have tried, it's a defect on the build of the phone itself. The antenna isn't very strong. People living and working in areas with very strong signal aren't going to notice. But the n4 signal underperforms against most other phones in areas where the signal socks when nestled in the left hand. I'm considering a return now.