We’d heard previous reports that the Verizon iPhone 4 was susceptible to the same death grip issues that rocked the original iPhone, but now industry heavy Consumer Reports confirms it: the death grip is back. According to CR:
The problem is similar to the one we confirmed in July with the AT&T version of Apple’s newest smart phone. It can occur when you hold either version of the phone in a specific but quite natural way in which a gap in the phone’s external casing is covered. The phone performs superbly in most other respects, and using the iPhone 4 with a case can alleviate the problem.
As with the AT&T iPhone 4, the tests were all conducted under highly controlled conditions. And like the AT&T iPhone 4, a $US30 bumper case corrected the problem.
When the iPhone 4 issues came to light last (northern) summer, Apple responded by giving out free bumpers to consumers. There’s as yet no word of any such plan to compensate Verizon iPhone buyers.
There were already plenty of reasons to hold off on buying a Verizon iPhone 4. It’s a shame that a known flaw, left uncorrected, can be added to that list. [Consumer Reports]