Smartphones improve Cell Reception?

May 6, 2010 12:34 PM

cell phones-- is reception related to the phone itself (I'm assuming the antenna/transmitter within the phone?) or only the physical location of the caller? Help me pick a smartphone & carrier please!

I want to get a smartphone and currently have Verizon; I rent in a large US city, and don't have a land line. My current reception is great in all rooms at home, but non-existent in the office tower at work. (I'm in a cubical and occasionally need to make/receive a private call.) We have boosters in place for TMobile and AT&T, and I've been thinking of an IPhone, but I don't really want to wait until June/July for the new version. I haven't actually played with a Droid or an IPhone so I'm not sure which device I'd prefer physically (I will do that soon).

Is my current crappy phone the reason for my lack of reception at work? Should I just bite the bullet and buy the IPhone 3GS even though I will be behind the curve?
What else am I not considering in my decision between Verizon and AT&T?

posted by travertina to Technology (6 answers total)

There are variances between phones in how well they connect to a given mobile network. We however don't have any way of saying that you'd be better served by a different phone on Verizon. The only way of knowing is to try another phone in your problem areas...Ideally this would a co-worker friend but remember most (all?) US Carriers have a bit of a grace period with a new cell phone where you can try it out to see if you get proper reception.
posted by mmascolino at 12:44 PM on May 6, 2010

My wife and I have identical models of iPhone on AT&T. We get dramatically different signal strength, especially at home: my calls usually drop, hers virtually never do.
posted by neuron at 12:51 PM on May 6, 2010

P.S.: I now give people my Google Voice number so when they call me it rings both my iPhone and my home landline. Works great.
posted by neuron at 12:52 PM on May 6, 2010

Reception can vary significantly on the same network with different phones. Or even the same phone as neuron points out. First thing you need to do is figure out if other people are having problems with Verizon reception. If they get adequate reception have them make some calls from your cubicle. If they can then you may just need a different phone.

If not then you'll prob have to bite the bullet and switch to ATT or T-Mobile. But, geez, if you're going to get an iPhone don't buy one now. Beg, borrow, or steal someone's old GSM phone and use that until the new iPhone comes out.
posted by 6550 at 1:30 PM on May 6, 2010

Yeah, phones can vary a lot in their ability to receive calls in a given situation. The design of the circuitry, the antenna, the design of the case. Not to mention other things like whether your hand is over the antenna. (And they can vary over multiple axes, like: detecting weak signals, dealing with multipath (a more common problem in the middle of a city), dealing with nearby strong signals, etc.) From an electrical standpoint, cell phones are one compromise after another. If usability weren't an issue there'd be a 2-foot yagi array on the top of your phone.
posted by hattifattener at 1:35 PM on May 6, 2010

FWIW I'm getting the best reception I've ever gotten from a cell phone, in all locations, from my Verizon Droid.
posted by bearwife at 2:33 PM on May 6, 2010