Last year when the iPhone 4 was launched Consumer Reports gave the iPhone 4 its best ever points rating, but still would not recommend it. “Antennagate” left a sour taste in the product testers’ mouths and left them unable to advise people to purchase the phone while the issue was a reality. It got so bad that even non-techy people would comment on the iPhone’s lack of signal, and although that is taking the issue to an extreme, it showed that the public were aware something wasn’t quite right with the antenna. The problem only occurred when the small black gap on the left hand side of the phone was covered. “Death grip” would visibly diminish the handset’s capability to find reception, often dropping from 5 to 0 bars in the space of 30 seconds.

Fast forward to October 2011, Tim Cook and his crew proudly showed off the iPhone 4S with its new “dual-antenna” system, which would allow the device to switch between two radios if one dropped signal. Soon after the launch I did a comparison to see if “death grip” was still an obstacle. No matter how hard I tried, I could not get the 4S to drop reception. Even after I’d shot the video I tried covering all black gaps in the new devices and still couldn’t get it to lose signal.

Consumer Reports found the same. Having tested the newest iDevice, the independent firm has now given it the seal of approval with its “Recommended” stamp. The site stated that it “doesn’t suffer the reception problem we found in its predecessor.”

Does a Consumer Reports recommendation make you more likely to purchase a product? What process do you go through before deciding on your next smartphone?

Via: AppleInsider