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Is the Nexus One 3g issue a dealbreaker?

Title says it. Contemplating purchasing this phone because I want a sick Android device but its plagued with bad 3g reception stories. Is it that big of a deal? Does anyone regret buying the device over it? Is it a design flaw as i have read or software?

mrbox23 said:
... Is it that big of a deal?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No
mrbox23 said:
Does anyone regret buying the device over it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't
mrbox23 said:
Is it a design flaw as i have read or software?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is neither. It is the wireless networks you guys have here in the US that sucks... (At least in El Paso, TX)

I'm tired of people blaming the wireless network, because that's just plain wrong in most cases.
I am a big N1 fan but I will be the first to admit that there's a 3G problem. But here is what I've observed:
- The problem is less evident on the AT&T model, as 3G runs on the same frequencies as 2G, and in general AT&T uses 850/1900, which are lower frequencies (better penetration) than T-Mobile.
- If you're in a very strong 3G area (like on the streets of NYC), you aren't likely to have any problems no matter how you hold the device.
- If you're in somewhat of a sketchy 3G area, and use the T-Mobile version of the phone, it's very possible you're going to drop to edge, if you cover the bottom portion of the phone with your hand. If you have the AT&T version in a sketchy area (low signal overall), it's possible you'll kill your signal entirely if you hold the phone a certain way...but I would say this is very rare.
There's probably a combination of a software and hardware issue causing the 3G issue. With future updates to the radio firmware, I'm sure there will be some improvements, but I don't know if it's going to be as good as some of the other phones available (especially in the case of T-Mobile, where the G1 tends to be fair a lot better 3G wise).
Having said all this - do I regret purchasing an N1? Definitely not - everything else about the phone makes up for the 3G issues, and I still have hope for future improvements.

Reception isn't "deal breaker" bad, and you'll notice there are much less complaints from AT&T users about it. If you are normally in areas with good coverage everything will will be great, but fringe areas might be frustrating. Weak signals are the phones kryptonite.
My question to anyone on the fence is usually, "name a better GSM phone" and then when they say "iPhone" I call them a fanboi. There's nothing worse than being an Apple fanboi.

its not a deal breaker at all. I still hold by my theory that the signal bars are just calibrated less conservatively than other phones, cause I've made and held calls for 15 min with zero bars of 3g showing. even my nokias had trouble doing that.
Sent from my Nexus One using the XDA mobile application powered by Tapatalk

PrawnPoBoy said:
Reception isn't "deal breaker" bad, and you'll notice there are much less complaints from AT&T users about it. If you are normally in areas with good coverage everything will will be great, but fringe areas might be frustrating. Weak signals are the phones kryptonite.
My question to anyone on the fence is usually, "name a better GSM phone" and then when they say "iPhone" I call them a fanboi. There's nothing worse than being an Apple fanboi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just cause they say the iPhone, doesn't make them an Apple fanboy.. people can have legitimate reason why they like the iPhone more than the Nexus...

There could be something to the theory that the phone just reports reception more conservatively. But then again I can easily drop a call in a low signal area by moving my hand around. This is the first phone I've had that does that.
Just cause they say the iPhone, doesn't make them an Apple fanboy.. people can have legitimate reason why they like the iPhone more than the Nexus...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Spoken like a true fanboi.
PS: I was actually joking. I have a jailbroken iPhone as well and its also awesome.

PrawnPoBoy said:
There could be something to the theory that the phone just reports reception more conservatively. But then again I can easily drop a call in a low signal area by moving my hand around. This is the first phone I've had that does that.
Spoken like a true fanboi.
PS: I was actually joking. I have a jailbroken iPhone as well and its also awesome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
see i have always had the same problem with my other phones in low signal areas, they would ALWAYS drop the call if i moved my hand over it. but they all had antenna in the bottom, like the nexus. i think if your previous phone had the antenna in the top, then you never would have experienced this before.
my nokia n95 was the last phone i had with a top antenna, it was internal at the top near the camera, and that thing was superb with RF.
but then i got the e71 and the bottom antenna dropped calls when i covered it. no service, all the time. i trained myself to hold at the top ever since.
so the nexus doesnt seem abnormal to me. i just thought it was common knowledge though...

PrawnPoBoy said:
There could be something to the theory that the phone just reports reception more conservatively. But then again I can easily drop a call in a low signal area by moving my hand around. This is the first phone I've had that does that.
Spoken like a true fanboi.
PS: I was actually joking. I have a jailbroken iPhone as well and its also awesome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also hope you were joking about the fanboi thing, as the nearest I've come to owning and iPhone was using family members ones for a few hours. My previous phone was a G1, and your misconceptions of me (if your words were not taken out if context) for stating something that is quite true is quite sad.
As stated before, people can have legitimate reasons as to why they favor the iPhone more than the Nexus. If I was sucked in to the iPhone when it was released, I would probably also be an iSheep - luckily I was only 12 at the iPhone's release. Phone technology wasn't really all that interesting yet.. I didn't care about touch screens etc. Now though, I still don't care about the phone much - but it was definitely brought unneeded hate in the internet towards those who adore it.

I love my Nexus One. No 3G issues on ATT, this actually has much better reception than my HTC Tilt2 with the best custom radio rom for my area. Flashing the radio of your Nexus will help a ton if you experience any of these issues so if you plan on flashing your phone don't worry about it. I love my Nexus and I spend much less time screwing with how the phone works and a lot more time using it.

about nexous one
I have never had any 3g problems ever and i bought this phone right when it came out
i love it get it you will to

This is really simple.
1. Buy the phone. If you have bad reception,
2. Flash to the newest radio. If you still have bad reception,
3. Return the phone.
You most likely won't get to step 3.

The phone legitimately does not get great reception.
I lined up, side by side, my BB Bold 9000, my Motorola Milestone, and me Nexus One, all just sitting on the desk, all with Orange (France) 3G SIMs.
The Bold and the Milestone get about the same signal. The Nexus gets consistently -4 to -10 dBm worse signal in any given placement. Wrapping your hand loosely around the phone will cut the signal by from -6 to -10 dBm on the Nexus, and by around -2 to -6 on the other two.
HOWEVER, the statistics don't really matter - I still get good enough signal at my desk on all three of them to download applications, use GTalk/SMS/telephone/browser all day, etc. Yes, a speed test shows generally better speeds on the Milestone, but it is more than good enough on both Android phones.
AND the Nexus is much faster in day-to-day operation. It scrolls faster, loads faster, runs faster, etc. It is almost sure to get updates from Google faster, and the dev community really does rock.
If I was in the US, I would have to consider some of the other phones out there, simply because the other networks are better than GSM networks, but here in France, the Nexus is fine and dandy.
If I were you, I would consider the network as well as the product, because it makes such a huge difference in the US. But once past that point, if you decide Nexus: buy it, test it, if you don't like it, sell it or return it. Easy.

I carried around my iPhone 3G with me the last few days and any time I had bad or no reception with my N1 I would swap the sim card and try the iPhone and without fail the iPhone would alway have more than enough signal strength.
The phone's reception is simply not as good as other phones, but it not enough for me to want to return it. I just hope that HTC learns from this like they did with the recent change to the atmel touchscreen instead of the clearpad component. I'm sure they will.

I've never had a problem with dropping 3G signal exactly, just the occasional instance where it'll get stuck on "uploading." Not sure if that's a T-Mobile issue or a phone issue. Either way, it happens only rarely and lasts no more than 10 seconds or so each time, so not a dealbreaker.
Other than that, the phone is fantastic. Incredibly fast and customizable. People complain that Android isn't user-friendly, but I honestly find everything quite intuitive (with the exception of a few badly designed 3rd-party apps).

I get the same (even better in a few places) 3G reception on my Nexus then I did with my iPhone 3GS

The OP needs to take note of all the people complaining about reception issues have also NOT mentioned whether or not they have updated the radio.
Everybody sitting with the stock radio from the models released in January/early-February are going to have a lot more complaints than someone who has either updated their radio or bought a newer model that has the updated radio preinstalled.

i still say its just a conservatively calibrated signal meter! seems to match my other phones just fine even if the actual bars are showing zero bars, its still making the call and receiving the data. me thinks its just a software calibration difference...

gsvnet said:
I'm tired of people blaming the wireless network, because that's just plain wrong in most cases.
I am a big N1 fan but I will be the first to admit that there's a 3G problem. But here is what I've observed:
- The problem is less evident on the AT&T model, as 3G runs on the same frequencies as 2G, and in general AT&T uses 850/1900, which are lower frequencies (better penetration) than T-Mobile.
- If you're in a very strong 3G area (like on the streets of NYC), you aren't likely to have any problems no matter how you hold the device.
- If you're in somewhat of a sketchy 3G area, and use the T-Mobile version of the phone, it's very possible you're going to drop to edge, if you cover the bottom portion of the phone with your hand. If you have the AT&T version in a sketchy area (low signal overall), it's possible you'll kill your signal entirely if you hold the phone a certain way...but I would say this is very rare.
There's probably a combination of a software and hardware issue causing the 3G issue. With future updates to the radio firmware, I'm sure there will be some improvements, but I don't know if it's going to be as good as some of the other phones available (especially in the case of T-Mobile, where the G1 tends to be fair a lot better 3G wise).
Having said all this - do I regret purchasing an N1? Definitely not - everything else about the phone makes up for the 3G issues, and I still have hope for future improvements.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bro, you're entire post actually supports the claim that the carriers need to build out their networks more in this country! Obviously if the phone works great in an area like NYC or Chicago, but not so great in "sketchy" places like where I live (Toledo, OH), then IT'S THE NETWORK!

PrawnPoBoy said:
I carried around my iPhone 3G with me the last few days and any time I had bad or no reception with my N1 I would swap the sim card and try the iPhone and without fail the iPhone would alway have more than enough signal strength.
The phone's reception is simply not as good as other phones, but it not enough for me to want to return it. I just hope that HTC learns from this like they did with the recent change to the atmel touchscreen instead of the clearpad component. I'm sure they will.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I have had the exact opposite experience. I always have a better signal with my N1 than my wife does with her iphone in the same places.
My wife and I used to have identical Nokia handsets, and her signal was always significantly better than mine. Minute manufacturing variations in low power RF devices can make huge differences, and such manufacturing variations are a normal part of any manufacturing process, including cell phones.
Comparing one phone to another and declaring a problem exists with an entire line of phones is just silly.
Basically, there is no real evidence of a unilateral "Nexus One" 3G problem, even if some handsets have less than expected performance.
So if you want a Nexus One, get it, and chances are that if you are happy with your network, you will be happy with your Nexus One.

Nexus 4 signal degradation when holding device

Has anyone else noticed [significant] signal degradation when holding their device?
I saw a brief mention of this over on nexus4 sub-reddit where several people confirmed that they were also experiencing this problem, but can't find anything about it on the forums... Long story short, I've found that while the device is resting on my desk (or for later tests - on my bed) I typically have 2-3 bars of HSPA signal. As soon as I pick up the phone I drop to zero bars. Occasionally I'll even drop down into Edge coverage.
So once I noticed this problem I decided to run a series of tests. All tests were performed following a fresh restart of the device and speedtest was the only app I was running. The tests were performed with the device on my bed so that the phone would be 10+ feet away from any other electronic devices. The phone is in an I-Blaison gel case, but I ran speedtest earlier in the night with and without the case and it didn't seem to change the results.
Before/between each test I would let the device sit stationary for approximate 10 seconds to let the signal 'stabilize' and then I'd hit "begin test". Tests were all run off the same server. I ran 3 tests with the phone on the bed, and 3 tests with it in my hand.
Tests # 1, 2, and 3: With the phone flat on the bed I averaged 6.02Mbps down and 1.43Mbps up.
I then 'picked up' the device - I physically kept the phone in the exact same location, but just put it in my right hand with my fingers ever so slightly wrapped around the device. Note - One source I've read stated the problem was worse when the phone was in the user's left hand... but I'll retest some other time if necessary.
Tests # 4, 5, and 6: With the phone in my hand, I averaged 4.86Mbps down with only 0.15Mbps up. Note - The download speed during this test was actually very surprising. Not 5 minutes earlier I had been averaging download speeds in the 0.5-1.5Mbps range while holding the phone in the same physical location... I may have had a better "grip" on the phone during earlier tests (or something like that) so maybe that's why it was slower.
Screenshot of tests 1-6 results here
Test #7 - I also decided to show what would happen if I were to pick up the device in the middle of the upload test. Result screenshot here. You can see that as soon as I picked up the phone the upload rate plummeted (I guess you will have to take my word that I picked up the phone right before the speed plummeted, but that's what happened).
Regarding the 1000ms pings... not sure if that's indicative of anything. My APN settings match the ones that I've seen recommended for android devices on Tmobile. I've heard that some people have said that the high ping may be due to device hardware coming out of 'low power mode' when the test starts... but I'm not sure one way or the other. Regardless, the ping stayed fairly consistent through all tests so it may be a moot point.
Background info - I have Tmobile Prepaid and, according to their site, I'm located in a "good" coverage area where I should expect coverage "outdoors and in some buildings".

I have noticed the exact same issue. At my desk, if the phone lays flat on the desk I have 2 bars of hspa - picking it up drops to zero or edge.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

Laying on school desk - 2-3 bars. When i pick it up, 0-1.
>_>

ALL phones do this when you hold them its not a flaw its not a bug.
The iphone 4 design meant you were bridging the external antenna changing its tuning causing dropped cell reception that was abnormal because of design this is an isolated case.
when you touch any phone your causing more attenuation if you grip it tightly your making it even worse cause your blocking the signal; we see these threads every-time a new phone comes out time to stop and learn physics.
ITT people who don't know that objects block / diminish radio waves
/thread should be closed :\

noobdeagle said:
ALL phones do this when you hold them its not a flaw its not a bug.
The iphone 4 design meant you were bridging the external antenna changing its tuning causing dropped cell reception that was abnormal because of design this is an isolated case.
when you touch any phone your causing more attenuation if you grip it tightly your making it even worse cause your blocking the signal; we see these threads every-time a new phone comes out time to stop and learn physics.
ITT people who don't know that objects block / diminish radio waves
/thread should be closed :\
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No issues here. T-Mobile coverage is spotty enough at my house but I have never seen my signal fluctuate after picking it up. I only see noticeable changes in signal when I move around
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

I noticed it too, just had for two days so far but seems to lower bars when I shift holding it but so far hasn't been too bad.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

Currently using it in my hand with full bars hspda ... And always runs like that here. No signal issues that I have seen.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

Full bars on desk and full bars in hand BUT double the down speed on speedtest when It's not being handled. Upload speed is the same regardless.

No issues like that with this phone. All phones reduce reception slightly when you pick them up but there's no super problem like the iPhone 4 here. You'd think apple would find other ways to damage the rep of new phones than paying people to come on forums and make stuff up lol

I was experimenting with this too. I have noticed that when I grip the lower half of the phone I get a 2 bar decrease. Contrary when I grip the top half of the phone I do not see this decrease.
This theory works in reverse for WiFi. Grip the top and it decreases WiFi, bottom it does not change.
Test it and see if anyone else cans replicate.
sent from my perfect 32GB Nexus 7

Same with any modern phone.
Cell antennas are at the bottom, as far away from your brain as possible.
WiFi/BT/GPS antennas are at the top. Which is why the above poster notes a drop in signal strength when holding the bottom, and a drop in WiFi strength when holding the top.
Where I work, the mobile signal is so borderline I have to hold any phone near the top to remain in signal, I am well used to this, hah! To type usually means holding the top of the phone with one hand and typing with the other. Normal behaviour when ones signal strength is -115dBm while holding the top!

Antennaegate!!! Nexus style.

I've had this problem with every thin phone since the nexus one. If you're in a really strong area it won't drop any bars. If just an on area it will drop. In my case at home I drop from 3 bars hspa top 0 to 1 when holding it at the bottom. In an area of really strong service I maintain full strength. Sad but true. I force ny phone to edge when at home or work which gives much better reception to help alleviate this.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

noobdeagle said:
ALL phones do this when you hold them its not a flaw its not a bug.
The iphone 4 design meant you were bridging the external antenna changing its tuning causing dropped cell reception that was abnormal because of design this is an isolated case.
when you touch any phone your causing more attenuation if you grip it tightly your making it even worse cause your blocking the signal; we see these threads every-time a new phone comes out time to stop and learn physics.
ITT people who don't know that objects block / diminish radio waves
/thread should be closed :\
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Simply not true. Go try a galaxy s3. MUCH harder to lower its signal by gripping it than it is for the N4. In fact I can't even make mine lower at all regardless of how I hold it. Some phones are simply worse in this respect than others and the N4 seems to be pretty bad. My N4 supposedly shipped and should arrive next week, so I'll compare in person.
-Sent from my GS3 running CM10.-

Tried to cover the device with both my hands as much as possible, no degradation of signal, LTE or HSPA+ edit: Mind you, the LTE signal remained at 2 bars like it normally does. HSPA+ was Full bars

This is generally true for companies using the 1900mhz (T-Mobile/Sprint) and is true for all phones. 1900mhz doesn't penetrate objects so well which is why people say once they go inside stores in the mall the signal is gone when on those carriers. ON Verizon, being a 850mhz one, this doesn't happen as much because of the wave length of the frequency, which is why AT&T was also so aggressive about switching 3G to 850mhz. The 700mhz LTE thing being even lower should be better as well so that's why people were buying those up in the FCC auction.

noobdeagle said:
ALL phones do this when you hold them its not a flaw its not a bug.
The iphone 4 design meant you were bridging the external antenna changing its tuning causing dropped cell reception that was abnormal because of design this is an isolated case.
when you touch any phone your causing more attenuation if you grip it tightly your making it even worse cause your blocking the signal; we see these threads every-time a new phone comes out time to stop and learn physics.
ITT people who don't know that objects block / diminish radio waves
/thread should be closed :\
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand that all phones will do this to an extent. I also understand that because Tmobile uses a higher frequency signal, they won't be able to offer the building penetration that other carriers can offer with lower frequency signals... but I've just never experienced signal degradation anywhere near this bad, particularly from simply picking up the phone and more or less just resting it on my hand.
Going from a completely usable 6M down and 1.5M up to a fairly useless 0.15M up? That's quite a decrease in performance.
I mean, I also have Sprint and Verizon devices. Verizon is a work phone (blackberry) so I can't test much with that... but sprint only drops maybe one bar while holding the phone with the worst death group I could come up with (completely cupping the phone with both hands, only the screen was uncovered).
I ran this same test with Sprint on my Nexus S. Overall sprint was much slower than Tmobile but it was definitely a bit more resilient against performance degradation after simply picking the phone up... and I have terrible sprint coverage in my area.

phositadc said:
Simply not true. Go try a galaxy s3. MUCH harder to lower its signal by gripping it than it is for the N4. In fact I can't even make mine lower at all regardless of how I hold it. Some phones are simply worse in this respect than others and the N4 seems to be pretty bad. My N4 supposedly shipped and should arrive next week, so I'll compare in person.
-Sent from my GS3 running CM10.-
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then you should be concerned with how much amplification is going on in the antenna and how close it is to your brain.
Lol.

Look at the diagram below, this is what was given to the FCC by LG. If you don't want to attenuate your cellular signal, keep your hand away from the blue part, which is the bottom of the phone. If you want to avoid throttling your wifi throughput, keep your greasy fingers away from the red part, which is next to the camera flash and power button. This isn't antennagate 2.0. There is nothing on the outside of this phone that will short the antenna, because it's all plastic and glass. Neither of those materials are electrically conductive.
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shotta35 said:
This is generally true for companies using the 1900mhz (T-Mobile/Sprint) and is true for all phones. 1900mhz doesn't penetrate objects so well which is why people say once they go inside stores in the mall the signal is gone when on those carriers. ON Verizon, being a 850mhz one, this doesn't happen as much because of the wave length of the frequency, which is why AT&T was also so aggressive about switching 3G to 850mhz. The 700mhz LTE thing being even lower should be better as well so that's why people were buying those up in the FCC auction.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All else being equal, that's true, but in practice, AT&T/Verizon put up half as many towers in the sub-GHz range as they do in the AWS/PCS range to take advantage of the fact that sub-GHz signals travel roughly twice as far. Half as many towers is half as much money that needs to be spent on rent, maintenance, utilities, and laying cable. They build the towers are twice as far apart, and therefore penetrate buildings equally poorly in most areas. The sub-GHz will actually be worse because you can't fit as much data into a 850MHz signal as you can with something running at 1700MHz.
phositadc said:
Simply not true. Go try a galaxy s3. MUCH harder to lower its signal by gripping it than it is for the N4. In fact I can't even make mine lower at all regardless of how I hold it. Some phones are simply worse in this respect than others and the N4 seems to be pretty bad. My N4 supposedly shipped and should arrive next week, so I'll compare in person.
-Sent from my GS3 running CM10.-
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which Galaxy S3? An LTE model? All commercially-sold LTE phones all have multiple receiving antennas, so when you attenuate one, the other is usually clear to receive without interference. You'll still suffer performance penalties, especially in high interference, low signal areas, but in most cases you probably won't notice it.
As you see from my diagram above, there is only one receiving antenna in the Nexus 4, which makes it easier to attenuate. It is, however, possible that there is another receiver, as there are some questions surrounding what LTE capabilities the N4 has and whether or not it's really designed to have LTE enabled OTA when T-Mobile launches it's Band 4 LTE Advanced network next year. However you can still have LTE even if it just has one transceiver, it's just that no one has sold a 1x1 device, and it won't work as well as the 2x2 devices on the market (download speeds will be capped not much higher than what DC-HSPA can manage on 1x1).

Steve Jobs
The fanbois will be all over this if it "gets out"

Death grip - signal loss

Hello.
I just watched 2 videos on youtube, both showing signal loss when the palm of your hand touches the lower left corner of the phone.
Can anyone confirm if this is true??

No signal loss on my phone.

what do you think this is, iphone?

Just tried, no signal loss.

Just tried it - holding it in that corner as well as covering both the top and bottom parts of the back (which are the antennas). No signal changes.

ksarius said:
Hello.
I just watched 2 videos on youtube, both showing signal loss when the palm of your hand touches the lower left corner of the phone.
Can anyone confirm if this is true??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're holding it wrong!

There is slight signal loss on my One (Sprint) when my palm covers the bottom left corner of the phone, but I wouldn't call it a "death grip." For me, it's the difference between 5 bars vs. 1-2 bars.

Anyway, anyone who holds their phone in a "death grip" during normal use is a bit off. Here, I need to make a phone call; let me hold the phone just as tight as humanly possible. Please...

Try holding with your left hand for 5 seconds.
That's what I noticed. From 5 bar to 1

shiningarmor said:
what do you think this is, iphone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Watch it for yourself. This is the third video with this problem. Seems like all sprint devices have this problem
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlAt7CKHsNY&feature=youtube_gdata_player
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uDtbhGk2Js&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Was holding it now for like 20 seconds in my left hand and no, no signal lost. Still 5 bars
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app

Might send mine back. My signal rose from 3 to 4 bars when i just covered the bottom of my phone. Also, i l placed it on a table and looked at it for 5 minutes and it fluctuated from 3 to 4 to 5 and back without me touching it. I am so disappointed with HTC right now...
In other words, no death grip here. If you have a problem with your phone, send it back. It does not seem to be a widespread issue.
Currently interchangeably using HTC One, BBZ10 and Note 2

Try4Ce said:
Was holding it now for like 20 seconds in my left hand and no, no signal lost. Still 5 bars
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's good to know. I think its only sprint devices then.
Anyone from developer edition can test it out?

Tried again, still no change. Perhaps it is specific to the Sprint model.

ksarius said:
Watch it for yourself. This is the third video with this problem. Seems like all sprint devices have this problem
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlAt7CKHsNY&feature=youtube_gdata_player
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uDtbhGk2Js&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mine singapore's singtel set, no problem

I can confirm this happens on the T-Mobile version too, but it doesn't actually appear to have any effect on phone calls, at least in my experience. I haven't dropped any calls, nor have I noticed a change in sound quality. On a somewhat related note, I can also interfere with Bluetooth audio streams simply by putting my entire hand over the top right corner near the FFC, though it obviously looks wrong and feels awkward to do so.
It's a known fact that many phones have signal attenuation when you put your hands on them in certain places. If it's that big of a deal, you can always invest in a good Bluetooth headset to keep your hands off it.

Oh great just what we need more OCD driven videos.
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium

Tried it with mine - was -83dBm on the table and fluctuated between -83dBm and -79dBm in my hand.

Just tried it, mine is completely fine. . .

This will happen on most, if not all phones. If you cover an area it needs to be usually exposed to maintain signal, what do you expect?
When it happened with iPhones however it was funny to see everyone who hates iPhone's making a big deal out of it...

low dbm compared to Galaxy 5 / LG3

Hey -
I'm having issues with call quality (other side says I'm breaking up, calls dropping, etc.).
When I compare my signal strength, I'm usually 6-10 dbm lower signal strength than my wife's Galaxy S5. I also compared it to my son's G3, and had a similar variation in signal strength.
Do I just have a bad phone, and should I swap it?
I'm worried that if I swap it, I end up with a refurb that has a partially used up battery for my brand new phone.
Thoughts?
Jim

jbresee said:
Hey -
I'm having issues with call quality (other side says I'm breaking up, calls dropping, etc.).
When I compare my signal strength, I'm usually 6-10 dbm lower signal strength than my wife's Galaxy S5. I also compared it to my son's G3, and had a similar variation in signal strength.
Do I just have a bad phone, and should I swap it?
I'm worried that if I swap it, I end up with a refurb that has a partially used up battery for my brand new phone.
Thoughts?
Jim
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I take it you have a US Nexus 6 XT-1103? What carrier do you have, are you on a stock/custom rom, rooted. stock/custom kernel, what radio are you using?

jbresee said:
Hey -
I'm having issues with call quality (other side says I'm breaking up, calls dropping, etc.).
When I compare my signal strength, I'm usually 6-10 dbm lower signal strength than my wife's Galaxy S5. I also compared it to my son's G3, and had a similar variation in signal strength.
Do I just have a bad phone, and should I swap it?
I'm worried that if I swap it, I end up with a refurb that has a partially used up battery for my brand new phone.
Thoughts?
Jim
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
first off, they are completely different devices with completely different hardware. so you cant compare the n6 to the ither devices when looking for issues. secondly, the n6 antenna is supposedly a little shorter than samsungs, which could have slightly worse signal reception, if you live in or near the country (as opposed to being in a city).

jbresee said:
Hey -
I'm having issues with call quality (other side says I'm breaking up, calls dropping, etc.).
When I compare my signal strength, I'm usually 6-10 dbm lower signal strength than my wife's Galaxy S5. I also compared it to my son's G3, and had a similar variation in signal strength.
Do I just have a bad phone, and should I swap it?
I'm worried that if I swap it, I end up with a refurb that has a partially used up battery for my brand new phone.
Thoughts?
Jim
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to be clear, when you say "6-10 dbm lower" you actually mean higher? Like your phone is 100 and hers is 90.

Sorry - should have provided more details:
1. It's a Verizon Nexus -not sure what that translates to for a model number.
2. By higher dbm, I mean that if I'm seeing -107 dbm on my phone, my son's LG3 and my wife's GS5 are seeing -96dbm. I guess the point is, both my wife and son can complete a call standing in the same location where I cannot.
Jim

N6 vs Note 4 dbm
This is by no means concrete proof, just showing that the radios in the Nexus 6 are no slouch...

jbresee said:
Sorry - should have provided more details:
1. It's a Verizon Nexus -not sure what that translates to for a model number.
2. By higher dbm, I mean that if I'm seeing -107 dbm on my phone, my son's LG3 and my wife's GS5 are seeing -96dbm. I guess the point is, both my wife and son can complete a call standing in the same location where I cannot.
Jim
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What radio are you running? Im running the M preview radio and it seems to be a little stronger than then 98r(verizon stock model radio) ones.

mademan420 said:
What radio are you running? Im running the M preview radio and it seems to be a little stronger than then 98r(verizon stock model radio) ones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am running the stock Verizon ROM. I loaded the M radio last night, and I'm not seeing a noticeable difference in signal strength or call quality.
Jim

jbresee said:
I am running the stock Verizon ROM. I loaded the M radio last night, and I'm not seeing a noticeable difference in signal strength or call quality.
Jim
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As @simms22 and @gee2012 said, there are several factors involved. I will admit, the Note 4's in-call sound quality is better than the N6's imho but by no means have I ever had problems with calls on it. I will admit, it does seem lower, but I found a thread yesterday that would increase the in-call volume. I applied it but havent actually tested this yet.
Updated: Im also running a 5.1.1 stock based ROM LYZ28E

As Apple once said, "you're holding the phone wrong." Notice the change in dBm while holding the phone normally (with the hand covering the bottom of the phone) and when you hold the phone just by the top edges.

stevemw said:
As Apple once said, "you're holding the phone wrong." Notice the change in dBm while holding the phone normally (with the hand covering the bottom of the phone) and when you hold the phone just by the top edges.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, Steve, I do notice a drop of a few dbm's when I take the bumper case off. But my tests with other phones are with them sitting side by side, not touching. And the dbm measurements are not really the issue. The issue is that calls on my N6 suck, but the LG3 and S5 are great in the same location.

In case you hit this thread with a search engine - here's another thread with people who are experiencing reception issues:
https://forums.motorola.com/posts/f7b51bd9bf?page=6

Ok -
Took the phone back to the Verizon store. I set my phone next to the display model - mine showed 1 bar, the display showed full bars.
The tech took my phone and turned off Advanced Calling, and my signal strength matched the display model. I'm going to play with it at home, but it looks like there is an issue with advanced calling and the N6.

jbresee said:
Actually, Steve, I do notice a drop of a few dbm's when I take the bumper case off. But my tests with other phones are with them sitting side by side, not touching. And the dbm measurements are not really the issue. The issue is that calls on my N6 suck, but the LG3 and S5 are great in the same location.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the antenna is on the rim of the N6.
https://forums.motorola.com/posts/5b145d5570

High radiation level

Saw this article in my Google feed, I think it's worth sharing
https://www.gizchina.com/2019/02/08...ones-emitting-high-radiation-as-per-a-report/

Lol.
I mean I dont use my phone for calling (which is weird), so the radiation level shouldnt be too high for me
And if I am calling someone I always speak to other people on speaker.
I think that they dont care about optimizing the protection because it would cost money.
But what do I really know

I don't worry about it, since I use hands free or BT 99.99% of the time.
Plus, some of those SAR graphs are a bit out of line with reality.

I'm worried as well. Enough to switch to Note 9.
Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk

Not too worries. Very small amount if those readings are accurate and there are a hundred of things that could kill me at any moment when I step out of the house.

Is this only for phone calls?

Lol this is funny

You've ever thought of the radiation of lightbulbs and neonlights? Now there's an issue that should make you worry. What about the electronic ignition and injection of your car? You're sitting right next to it!
Or... relax! It's the same radio waves that are surrounding us all day, anywhere you go. Stop the hysteria

amunarjoh said:
You've ever thought of the radiation of lightbulbs and neonlights? Now there's an issue that should make you worry. What about the electronic ignition and injection of your car? You're sitting right next to it!
Or... relax! It's the same radio waves that are surrounding us all day, anywhere you go. Stop the hysteria
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree.
From the article.
"German certification for environmental friendliness only permits phones with 0.60 or less SAR value. That puts every phone in the above list under a red flag."
That includes the iPhone.
But like a previous poster said.
I rarely keep the phone on my body.
When I'm talking it's usually over BT. Has the OP looked into radiation of BT headsets? Just say'n.
But for my it's BT in the car.
As a kid, I sat in front of CRT televisions.
I used oscilloscopes with CRT displays.
I used old fashioned walkie talkies.
I think there are bigger things to worry about.

Eh, I've lived long enough.

I used my first Motorola cellphone back to 1993. You know the big thing like a brick. At that time, cellphones were mainly to calls. I never felt any uncomfortable at all.
Let it be.
Sent from my ONEPLUS 6T using Tapatalk

Zero f***s given here about all of this.

lolwut

OnePlus 5, 5T, 6 and 6T are all in the list, pretty poor.
MarcoLK said:
Lol. I think that they dont care about optimizing the protection because it would cost money. But what do I really know
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Skimping everywhere possible.
Sure, there are iPhones in the list but not flagship models. Interesting that there are no Samsung phones listed and also interesting to see the Pixel 3 making an appearance.
Basically the list is full of cheap a$$ hardware.
It may not be a deal breaker but if there are 2 equivalent phones and one has a lower radiation level I will choose it and I think it speaks to the overall quality of the product.

Who needs some tinfoil?

Hubird said:
OnePlus 5, 5T, 6 and 6T are all in the list, pretty poor.
Skimping everywhere possible.
Sure, there are iPhones in the list but not flagship models. Interesting that there are no Samsung phones listed and also interesting to see the Pixel 3 making an appearance.
Basically the list is full of cheap a$$ hardware.
It may not be a deal breaker but if there are 2 equivalent phones and one has a lower radiation level I will choose it and I think it speaks to the overall quality of the product.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree with that, i don't care much about radiation level but seeing it's all the low quality phone that are on the top of the list and mostly samsung phone on the very end, i think it says a lot.
this is weird by the way because i live in poor signal reception area and all the xiaomi, oneplus i had had all a lot of difficulty to connect to the network, when on the other hand most of the samsung i had managed to works much better.

I haven't had a good laugh in a while, thanks OP.

Lebrun213 said:
this is weird by the way because i live in poor signal reception area and all the xiaomi, oneplus i had had all a lot of difficulty to connect to the network, when on the other hand most of the samsung i had managed to works much better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was recently in a poor signal area in Bali, I had my OP6T and the person I was with had a Note 8, both had the same simcards in them and my OP6T struggled to get any reception whereas the Note 8 was consistently better, still poor but better and at least it was usable usable.
Disappointing really, if we are going to be irradiated we should at least get kiss ass reception.

Hubird said:
I was recently in a poor signal area in Bali, I had my OP6T and the person I was with had a Note 8, both had the same simcards in them and my OP6T struggled to get any reception whereas the Note 8 was consistently better, still poor but better and at least it was usable usable.
Disappointing really, if we are going to be irradiated we should at least get kiss ass reception.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
agree, that's why i found it to be weird.
Chinese using cheap ass antenna, it's legit because we all know they got to cut cost one way or another but then why does it irradiate more ?
i wish there were samsung quality phone with oneplus rom on that, would be perfect device

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