Reception - Note 3 with S-View Cover

[Lezul]

Hi all,

I've had my Note 3 for just about a year now but have always only had either 1 bar of signal or "emergency calls only". While it is normal for my area to have low signal, my S2 and my friends' iPhone 5 and Nokia Lumia 920 have around 2 to 3 bars. After walking around my house today trying to find a place with reception to make a call, I decided to take off my case to see if it helped and then after 10 seconds I went from "emergency calls only" to 2-4 bars depending on my location.

Is this normal for the S-View Cover? Could you guys recommend me a flip cover (S-View not necessary but a slim one would be nice) which doesn't block my signal?

Device Info:
Samsung Galaxy Note 3
SM-N9005
Android 4.4.2
Signal Strength according to Status:
Without case: -97 dBm 8 asu (though it does not seems stable as it goes between -99 dBm and -97 dBm)
With case: -101 dBm 6 asu

Thank you in advance for any help you can give me!

 

[Rukbat]

That's a little more than 50% of the signal (3db=50%) being absorbed by the cover. I'd say the cover is defective (somehow something conductive got into or onto it).

 

[jpr]

No that's not normal at all. Mine doesn't affect signal at all. Are you sure it's not a knock off case? They can cause all kinds of issues. If you have had it for a year then probably too late to return it.

But if you like the S View case then I would say just get another one and make sure it is from Samsung. And then if for some reason you still have the problem, you will have no trouble getting a refund for it either if it's a genuine case.

 

[Lezul]

Thanks for the replies!

I'm quite sure it's the original S-View Cover as I bought it from my cellphone provider and it has the Samsung logo on the box. I'm not really a fan of the case as S-View doesn't support Google Play Music and makes the phone quite bulky.

I guess I'll just buy another case off Amazon and see if the problem goes away or if it's maybe a problem with my antenna.