Iphone signal strength

Hi folks,
Got a new 3GS. Now, I know that the iphone has poorer signal strength that most other "normal" phones on the market.
By "calling" 3001#12345# from the phone, one can see the signal strength. I put my friend's iphone 3G beside my 3GS and the level were different. It appeared that he had about a signal 5 higher than mine (e.g. I was at -71 and he was at -66). Sometimes, I had a higher strength than his but mostly, his was better.
Again, is this just me being fussy and comaring to different models of phone hence an unfair test? What you think?
Reason I'm concerned is that sometimes, when I have my phone in my pocket, it has no service when other phones (non-iphone phones) seem fine...
Thanks
Jonny

Regarding 3G service...
±5 dB on the numbers is pretty meaningless, especially at the levels you mentioned. My 3G has varied at least that much (±5) sitting in one spot. If they were 10-15 different, I'd be concerned. From my experience, anything from -50 to -85 is good enough for any app to work well. I get usable service up to about -115.

Similar Messages

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    This article was posted in Mac-World last week and I really love it. Being able to see real numbers for signal strengh is so much better that the standard bar display. But even better the option to flip back and forth between both is the best. Try it out if you like:
    Bugs & Fixes: Tying up loose ends
    by Ted Landau, Macworld.com
    "Last week, I wrote about a potential problem where, in areas of weak signal strength, the iPhone 3GS might shift from 3G to EDGE in situations where the iPhone 3G remained (or appeared to remain) on the 3G network. At the end of the article, I mentioned using Field Test Mode (dialing 3001#12345#—and you have to do this manually; tapping on a contact for this number will not work). The less negative the number, the better your signal strength. For a reasonably reliable signal, the number should be less negative than -100. Ideal strength would be somewhere around -50.
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    What if you later decide you’d prefer the original bars-only default back? According to what I have read (I have not yet tried it to confirm), go to Settings -> General -> Reset and tap Reset All Settings. Selecting the less disruptive Reset Network Settings isn’t sufficient. Unfortunately, after resetting, you’ll have to re-enter all your iPhone settings (which is why I haven’t bothered to test it out as yet)."

    Is there a way to access this information from the API? I'd love to see a google maps mashup of cellular black holes. I'd MAKE one.

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  • Iphone in Great Britian discovers Apple tech problem - Signal Strength -

    November 25, 2007
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    The problem surfaced two days after the phone went on sale in the U.K. when “Matlock” in Derbyshire started a discussion thread on Apple’s support board entitled “UK 02 (poor signal strength/reception problems)”:
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    Thanks to InformationWeek’s Alexander Wolfe for the link. See his report here.
    Filed

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    tbh, I think its an inherent problem with smart phones. However, with my iPhone I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary really. Its better than the XDA, at least the iPhone doesn't drop out completely!
    But compare it to a normal handset and the normal handset will normally have a much better reception strength.

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    luvdacanes wrote:
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