Android signal strength compared against iPhone

What seems to be all around the Internet these days is the issue of the just released iPhone 4 antennae / signal strength problem. Almost every mobile related site has had some discussion about the problem. It has turned in so much buzz that people have named it the “Grip of Death”.

Although antennae signal degradation isn’t something new, Apple’s iPhone 4 is getting a lot of publicity because of the sheer number of iPhone users in the US. If you have been a mobile phone user for quite a while, back in the old days antennas used to be protruding on top of your mobile phone. And if you cover them with your hand, the signal get’s lost. This is essentially what’s happening with the iPhone 4 now.

Apple is saying it’s a problem with the way the signal strength is being displayed on the phone’s signal strength bars. Metalev, an Android hacker, got some info together and plotted a graph comparing the signal strength being displayed in the iPhone 4 bars against that of Android mobile phones.

From the data of the graph, it seems that Apple is actually displaying bars at a lower signal strength compared to Android devices. But I am wondering what would make improvements in the “Grip of Death” issue if Apple is to make some adjustments in the computation. Any suggestions?