[Q] Death grip? does it really matter? - HTC Sensation

hey sensationers... I am thinkin of buyin a htc sensation over a s2...
the phone is truly amazing... and i loved it..
so tobe sure i was doing some research before buyin it...
came across a deathgrip issue..
and it really sucks in that case..
i wanted to know that is it a very serious problem?
i use my phones in landscape mostly...
besides does that death grip thing affect cellular network
does network signal drops when we cover the phone from top?
i know that wifi drops but same way does signal drops?
please honestly let me know..

No I never experience signal drop when I cover the top so don't worry about call drop in the middle of the conversation, but the WiFi does drop but it doesn't kill it off cause it usually drop until the one bar or so. In my personal opinion, I don't think it matters as it won't affect anything beside WiFi but for some other people they might it is.

i never experienced the death grip since upgraded to ICS and with the custom rom i use..

Related

Antenna Issues?

http://www.informationweek.com/news...html?articleID=225900042&cid=RSSfeed_IWK_News
So I read that and it sounds a lot like an Apple iPhone lover trying to find fault in this phone. Anybody who owns the Captivate, can you possibly check this and update us on this ?
I'd read the comments for that article.
and
http://androidforums.com/samsung-ca...vate-death-grip-issue-similar-iphone-4-a.html
The issue can be replicated on almost any phone in certain conditions. Its really not an issue to be concerned about.
I've noticed that my Captivate is hovering around 2-3 bars constantly. It rarely hits 4 or 5 bars unless I'm right near a tower.
I have the body glove case on the phone as well and this is still occurring.
Mine shows 4 bars on the table, in hand it drops to 3 bars. If I press it into the palm of my hand and put an actual "death grip" on it, it goes to 2 bars. Nothing to be concerned about as far as I'm concerned.
Looks like it is an issue, possibly worse than the iphone 4. There's a new test on youtube about it. I can't post links until my account is verified. Search "samsung captivate." Many phones are tested (captivate is around the 5:20 mark):
It dropped from 3 bars to zero. Yikes! Still though, this was a very tight grip test, which no one uses. I would like to see just a casual grip test. According to at least one video I saw, on the iphone, if you put just one finger on that spot on the left side, it will drop.
pjs2004 said:
Looks like it is an issue, possibly worse than the iphone 4. There's a new test on youtube about it. I can't post links until my account is verified. Search "samsung captivate." Many phones are tested (captivate is around the 5:20 mark):
It dropped from 3 bars to zero. Yikes! Still though, this was a very tight grip test, which no one uses. I would like to see just a casual grip test. According to at least one video I saw, on the iphone, if you put just one finger on that spot on the left side, it will drop.
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Click to collapse
Is it this video? Don't be too concerned with the bars. Bars are just a vague estimate of signal strength (it's probably gamed by the manufacturer). I'm interested in real-world performance. There's another video on here (or maybe androidforums) where a user shows the bar drop during the "death grip" and then runs speedtest.net to show that the downstream performance is almost identical. If the data performance suffers or I drop calls when I hold the phone, it's a problem. If all that happens is the signal meter drops a little, I don't care.
I'd be interested to see if the issue Techno Buffalo had can be replicated on the other Galaxy S devices. IIRC, the Captivate is the only one with a metal back cover.
Yeah, that's the one. Good point about the bars...
Like the iPhone 4 it's not really a big deal. Most people will never replicate the circumstances needed for this to happen in daily usage and the ones that do probably will do it on purpose to make a stupid video......
dsjr2006 said:
Like the iPhone 4 it's not really a big deal. Most people will never replicate the circumstances needed for this to happen in daily usage and the ones that do probably will do it on purpose to make a stupid video......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seriously. Who holds phones like that? I love how he was dragging all the widgets around on the Evo with his palm. Hulk no get reception on Hulk's iPhone 4. Hulk smash!
I've tried holding my phone in 20 different ways and cannot make the signal go away. The problem with the iphone is NOT the same as just putting the captivate under something so it doesn't receive the towers as well. Captivate is fine.
All phones lose signal in a phone specific "death grip". The difference between a well designed phone and the iphone 4 is how awkwardly you have to hold the phone to lose reception. On the iphone 4 you lose reception holding the phone in a way that is normal for many people. Well designed phones don't lose reception while being held in any natural position.
I held mine the way you naturally would in the left and right hands and saw maybe a 1 bar drop out of 10 tries.
If you completely cover the back with your hand you can make it drop a couple bars (but no **** why wouldn't it you are covering the entire back lol). And by 'a couple' I mean exactly 2. Thats the most I could get it to drop any way I held it.
Also if you grip the bottom nice and tight, and make sure that your palm is making 100% contact with the back you can get it to drop 1-2 bars.
I made 10 test calls with the captivate and the most I can make it drop is 2 bars, and even when I dropped from 2 to zero bars it wouldn't drop the call.
As long as it doesn't drop the call I don't care how many bars it shows. Also I think that they are calculating signal strength based on data (upload and download) and voice. From what I saw I think the bar drop is from data upload speeds decreasing.
I'd like to hear if anyone can actually drop a call from this. I can't but service is okay where I am lowest I hit was 2 bars without the grip.
i get 4 - 5 bars normaly. When i apply the death grip i drop 1 bar... btw the death grip you give an iphone 4 and a regphone is totally diff. The deathgrip for the iphone 4 is casually holding it in your left hand. For normal hands one is required to strangle the phone. With the extreme death grip i got it to drop one bar. I have huge hands too...
I don't think the problem with the iPhone 4 is the normal attenuation problem you have when you put something like your hand over an antenna to attenuate the signal. With the iPhone 4 you are actually physically touching the phone antenna and shorting it with the other antenna using your skin as a bridge. The "death grip" for the iPhone 4 can be as simple as putting your index finger across the black gap between the antennas on the lower left corner. That's why Apple's $30 rubber band works.
I've been in high-signal areas all day so I haven't really had a chance to see how much of a problem the signal drop is when you have your hand over the bottom slider plate. I lose 1-2 bars, but I'm not getting any statistically significant difference using speedtest.net.

Thunderbolt WiFi Anntenuation

Has anyone else noticed the drop in WiFi signal when you cup the phone in your hand? Put the phone in your left hand so your palm is on the left side with your fingers on the right. Watch the WiFi signal tank.
It's not a big deal nor do I know if it affects anything - just a funny observation.
Just confirmed this with WIFI Analyzer. I would lose about ~10 db whenever I cupped the bottom and the second I released it went back to normal. Must mean that the WIFI antenna is on the bottom of the device. Not that it matters much as 10 db is a minimal drop.
Very interesting, when not cupping the device returns to normal. This was with my case off. The second I put my case on my WIFI signal plummeted while not even touching it. I use a silicon case that just wraps around the device. After removing the case the signal shoots back up.
Weird, huh? Mine will drop from four WiFi bars down to one.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA Premium App
That's crazy. Works everytime without fail. Lucky for me I never hold it like that.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
I experience the same thing, but does not seem to affect performance.
-sent via 1.21 giggawatts of android.
It's not happening for me. Weird.
I know that the antennas on the TB run through the back cover. If you open the Battery/SD/SIM compartment cover, you will notice some contacts that are in different spots and corresponding contacts on the cover. These are antenna extensions. Thusly, covering the back of the phone will drop your signal pretty good. Try holding it in a gapped grip (fingertips only instead of cupping) or hold it at the bottom (near the kickstand) and it will alleviate it.
Why it attenuates so much when you have a silicon cover on boggles my mind. I have a soft interior and hard edge silicone/plastic two piece case on and maybe a small attenuation of WiFi and Cell signal. One bar max, a few DB in stats. Dropping from full bars to one is crazy for just the cover.
You think cell phone manufacturers would have learned from Apple....
the desire s has this issue really bad. my nexus one does it too. i've been able to cup my phone and drop cellular AND wifi bars on pretty much every phone i've owned, nokia n95, n97, etc. some just have it worse than others so you may not notice it on certain devices. but its always existed.
if you are standing next to your router, than the signal will over power any attenuation you try to impose on the device. so in the same room you wont notice, but far away with weaker signal and you will attenuate for sure.
Breezer23 said:
You think cell phone manufacturers would have learned from Apple....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apple wasnt the first and wont be the last...
moosez3 said:
Apple wasnt the first and wont be the last...
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Click to collapse
Though they did make one of the biggest errors.
That's true but Apple made Antennuation a household term.... Kinda lol.
Apple had a problem with signal? AT&T, aka A Fee & Fee, had users too dumb to know they were using too much data? It was an iBlame issue. My daily rant quota.
Seriously, though, with internal antennas, this can be an issue. I have not verified if my signal attenuated or not, nor has it affected call quality or data transmission that I am aware of.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
ryocoon said:
Why it attenuates so much when you have a silicon cover on boggles my mind.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Silicone cover made in china and full of lead????
kendive said:
Silicone cover made in china and full of lead????
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol. But do not make too much fun of them, they may cash in our country's debt..real trouble then.

Solving Sensation's Death Grip Issue

Ok after the previous journey with hd2's thermal problems and since i got a new htc sensation, i found myself a little bored until either devs or htc gives us some s-off for our phones. So i've heard of this death grip issue and want to give it a try to find a hardware fix for it. Some of you may know me for the geeky technical approaches, so i'll try to get some stuff working here.
Anyway, i have the Sensation from about 4-5 days. I'm yet to determine the seriousness of this issue and how much wireless transmissions are affected.
After inspecting the device construction, it's simple to assume that the reason for the death grip is an interference between the antenna emissions and the EM interference from the human body (hand).
I'll be conducting a series of measurements using some hardware tools to find out the exact cause. Only after this i can begin to work for a fix.
So far this future fix must comply with these conditions:
1. NOT to void the warranty. The fix have to be removable and the phone brought to it's original condition.
2. More easier and safe then my hd2 reheating thread . The solution must be clear, simple and must make use of generic household materials.
3. The death grip issue must be solved in a satisfactory way so that the fix itself is worth the trouble.
This is the start of a new project, it may take a while for some real results to come and the first thing to be determined is if the issue is really user solvable.
So, wish me luck.. i guess i'll be starting tomorrow and post some pictures/things i find during the process.
Good luck, I'm also tempted to start some experiments. BTW it might be worth having a extra Back cover to due testing with. You can get one from HTC.
well, that's the idea. the method must be non invasive for that back cover and must also present no risk in damaging it.
I was so annoyed by the touchscreen issue I never got round to this one :\
I wanted to test if the problem could be "reduced" by simply adding a strip of aluminium foil along the cover... You can probably come up with something better
Thank you for helping!
Thanks! If you can even slightly improve things, you'd be a god. I love this phone, but the WiFi dying (in landscape) is the one issue that constantly nags. [:
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App
Xlythe said:
Thanks! If you can even slightly improve things, you'd be a god. I love this phone, but the WiFi dying (in landscape) is the one issue that constantly nags. [:
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Click to collapse
That's funny, mine doesn't die on any orientation about the wifi.
2003evo8 said:
That's funny, mine doesn't die on any orientation about the wifi.
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Click to collapse
I've yet to experience this also...
Sent from my Htcclay's SuperCM7 G2 using XDA App
Ditto...I haven't experienced this either. *knocks on wood*
2003evo8 said:
That's funny, mine doesn't die on any orientation about the wifi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well it really depends on where your router is and how strong is the signal... I've tested mine with wall between it dropped significantly and even disconnects, while next to it only a bar or more but return to normal state after a few moments. But it shouldn't do that, and I've got asus wl520-gc router.
MerLinh said:
Well it really depends on where your router is and how strong is the signal... I've tested mine with wall between it dropped significantly and even disconnects, while next to it only a bar or more but return to normal state after a few moments. But it shouldn't do that, and I've got asus wl520-gc router.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's true but he was saying he looses it in landscape mode.
FOTA reduced the death grip issues for me..
i will be making some physical measurements on how the phone's transceiver produces and handles 2.43 Ghz ISM type signals. At this moment i haven't tested my device for the death grip but like i've said, i have some spare time and want to help on this.
By using an oscilloscope i will try see what's happening to the signal level in real time.
2003evo8 said:
That's true but he was saying he looses it in landscape mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's my hand touching the top of the phone when I hold it in landscape. Sorry if there was confusion. Light touches cause dramatic losses in signal on my phone.
Edit: WiFi only.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App
Looking forward to results. Godspeed.
I hate to sound like an Apple fanboy but I was not able to replicate this "accidentally."
Now it might have to do with the different frequencies of the Bell verison of phone, or my signal strength.
I watched a video of someone placing the phone flat on their hand and the signal strength completely dropping off. While I was able to drop a bar of cellular signal, it was far from the video.
I did not get any noticeable drop in wifi.
I went to 3 different tmobile stores and had 3 replacement phones. They all had death grip.
also don't think its EM. I lose wifi signal by covering with single sheet of paper.
joon82 said:
I lose wifi signal by covering with single sheet of paper.
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Click to collapse
Cover what with a single sheet of paper, the back of the phone? You lost the wifi signal completely? I get no effect by putting a piece of paper on my phone. Never heard of lead paper.
any updates ?
is it possible to solve it with hard cover... i read smowhere that with a silicone one won't solve it.
Xlythe said:
It's my hand touching the top of the phone when I hold it in landscape. Sorry if there was confusion. Light touches cause dramatic losses in signal on my phone.
Edit: WiFi only.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have the same problem

[Q] Any true hardware issues?

Hi, im going to the USA this week and i want to buy an htc sensation, the thing is im looking for any mayor hardware issues on the phone, i dont care for the low volume or the short battery life (its a smartphone....we rly need to get used to the 8 hour baterry life =P ).....im talking about things that are big like:
* Phone gettin rly hot and making it reboot a lot (happened with my htc desire)
* this rumor about the sensation having some emc issues with the camera
I know theres a lot of threads about the phone issues but what i found out were people complaining on batery life or some apps not working or mostly software issues...... like i said im trying to look for real hardware issues like the death handgrip on the iphone4, i dont want to pay for a 600$ phone that 40% of the first batch production have defective hardware.....i cant go back and get it replaced after i buy it, thats what i get for living in a 3° world country so please dont tell me to move to a civilised country because i cant
My sensation gets really really hot on the bottom of the screen where you type when in the portrait position. I exchanged the phone for another and the second one does the same thing, I can honestly feel the tips of my fingers get hot when I type(really hot). Death grip is very real, same with both phones. Battery life is ok at best. If i could do it again I would wait and get something else. Just my 2 cents. Also phone lockscreen is a bit buggy, sense restarts regularly..........
Also the bottom of the screen goes unresponsive quite regularly, same with both phones. Not sure if that is hardware or software, just so you know
hmmm, seems like the heat issues repeats itself on several forums, and the weird lack of ecm protection of the camera also.
seems like ill be gettin a samsung galaxy s2
thx for the info
ragancy said:
hmmm, seems like the heat issues repeats itself on several forums, and the weird lack of ecm protection of the camera also.
seems like ill be gettin a samsung galaxy s2
thx for the info
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would, I think this will be my last HTC phone, they always make a device with cool features and tremendous potential but never quite cuts the mustard. I have hung in there since the tilt and I think I am done lol
I often lurk the threads of the new devices and I appreciate the brutal honesty you have all displayed.. I tend to be a bit of a lurker. I am a Nexus One owner and I COULD upgrade... but it just doesn't seem to cut it. That being said, I'd never own a Samsung device, HTC has been perfect for me since the G1. Guess I will hold out and cross my fingers that HTC manufactures the next Nexus device.
Turn down the brightness, this will probably solve the issue with the phone getting very hot. 2 days ago, mine got VERY hot where the touch buttons are located. I was quite confused about this because it had not happened before. Then I realized I had set the screen brightness to 100% because I couldn't read the screen in bright daylight a couple hours earlier and forgot to turn it back down. Reset to my usual 15-25% and everything was fine again.
I havent had any overheating or hardware issues. Havent had any problem yet. Great phone!!!!!
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G
ok, if the heat issue can be solved by turning down the brightess im in......i mean i dont care if the sense 3.0 got bugs, they will fix that with future updates, what im worried about is this rumor about the camera taking bad pictures because it got emc leakage , seems like it does not have any emc protection for the lens....thx for the replys btw
Here are some issues:
Dust (I don't have it)
Death grip (very real)
Creaking (not such a big issue, but something that shouldn't happen on an expensive phone like this)
Lockscreen (software/hardware. I think it's software)
And some other things
Swyped from my HTC Sensation
Nothing to really complain about for me. I haven't had response issues. Although the death grip phenomenon is real, I've managed to avoid it by not covering the plastic on the top half on the device. Hopefully, HTC can come up with a new cover if enough people complain. There was one instance where, during GPS use, the metal back cover was almost too hot to hold. I believe that was due more to direct sunlight on my dashboard than the phone itself. Love the polished feel of the new Sense UI. If I could do it over, I'd prefer a Droid Bionic, but only by a very small amount. And that's only because of the speed of the hardware and Verizon's data speed/reception quality where I am. If you're looking to stay on TMO, I'd definitely recommend it.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App

Stupid Stupid antenna

I received my replacement back cover today in hopes that it would resolve my signal strength issues.
It doesn't. My sensation loses signal if I hold it normally. It gets reduced signal from using any case/cover as well. I get 1-2 bars and if I leave it in my pocket at my house, I lose signal all togther.
My father has one and the same issues as well, and my cousin has the same issues.
With other phones, MyTouch 4g, Motorola Cliq, etc, We have 3-4 bars all the time, no matter what.
The antenna on these is poorly designed, and it could be complicated by software/radio configuration.
Just wanted to let people know that getting them to send you a back cover may not solve your issue.
I think I'm going to send it back for service/testing, but I'll bet it passes and they send the phone back. If it only works 10% as well as you think it should, but 10% is 100% of their spec's, then 10% it will be... HTC may have lost a customer..
Have minimal WiFi antenna attenuation, and it hasn't affected my usage, at all. And I mean :::zero::: You will be okay. None of the Sensation handsets have 'better' casings than others. Honest.
you're pretty lucky. considering I haven't had this issue ever since I got my sensation. but its the unbranded one.
Id guess something is wrong with your hardware, inside the phone. I hold my phone funny and still have great reception. Heck, I even put thick lead sheet in the way of the antennas and still had good reception!
Id do an exchange.
Matt
It's not the back. I had a sensation with dust under the screen. Got a warrant replacement (just the front), and now I have the death grip issue.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App
Maybe.
I think I'm going to send it out, but if it's all 3 (purchased at different times from different places) then what is the issue? It drops some bars if you hold the phone. Even when you don't it is lower bars than my Motorola cliq)
I'm pissed. If they tell me nothing is wrong, it will be my last HTC.
Uhmm daaa.. Do you read instruction mannual? Dosent read shh... and posting dumb things.. EVERYTHING about anntena is written there.. the operator antenna is at the bottom of the phone! (there are little holes at the back cover) so avoid covering the holes and it should be fine! - Because as you probably noticed the wifi & operator antenna is the little gold plates on inside of the cover... and thats why you get 'death grip' when you cover them... - Basicly 1/3 of the cover WORKS AS AN ANTENNA! So no replacements will fix this.. it is just the way it is!
When I cover the antennas one bar dropes for me, but thats it... Of course when i pull the cover out i almost have no coverage(because no antenna is connected)

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