Antenna Gate 2? Consumer Reports Flunks Verizon iPhone

A little more than seven months ago, someone coined the phrase Antennagate. the iPhone 4 was having problems with dropped calls and signal attenuation when the edge of the phone was held a certain way.

Unlike other phones, the iPhone 4's antenna is on the outside of the casing, meaning it is touched when one holds the phone without a case. That didn't hurt the iPhone 4's sales, and since the Verizon iPhone was rolled out some have posited that the problem was AT&T's network rather than the phone itself.

Not so, says Consumer Reports. The consumer products testing company subjected the Verizon iPhone 4 to an intensive battery of tests and said the same antenna issue that dogged the AT&T version is back. When users hold the phone in a certain way it covers the exterior antenna. In low signal areas, this can cause the phone to drop a call.

For that reason, we are not including the Verizon iPhone 4 in our list of recommended smartphones, despite its high ranking in our ratings, Consumer Reports said in a blog post.

When the AT&T iPhone 4 had antenna issues, Jobs held a press conference and offered all consumers a free bumper, which solved the problem. He also said most phones have similar reception problems to the iPhone 4. Consumer Reports says in its study a bumper solved the problem for the Verizon iPhone as well.

This time around Apple is not offering free bumpers. Although, Consumer Reports said the Cupertino, Calif.-based tech giant is considering requests for a free case from customers who buy the phone and experience reception issues.

There haven't been as many complaints about the Verizon iPhone 4 this time around, Consumer Reports noted. One reason is because Verizon's network, unlike AT&T's, has performed more reliably.

Apple did not respond to a request for comment.

To contact the reporter responsible for this story call (646) 461 6920 or email g.perna @ ibtimes.com