Will the 3G iPhone have better call reception?

short answer, yes

slightly longer answer.
Yes it will. The plastic back won’t be such a hindrance on signal strength as the current one is. Less to get in the way of that little puppy doing it’s job properly.

That said now though, of the coverage is poor in your area regardless of what phone you’re using, even the iPhone Gods can’t fix that.

and the fact that the 3G uses different signal to make and receive calls, am i right?

Check AT&T’s web site – they have a coverage map showing dead zones. Even with 3G, there’s still a huge hole in my town that my house sits right on the edge of.

@waterskier
Well the way it works over here is this. The networks put up their masts, some are 2.5G, some are 3G. Obviously they try to not upset the cows and such while doing it.

If there is a 3G mast available then the phone uses that, otherwise it uses the 2.5G mast. Could be a good or a bad thing for the guy to be honest.

@skiier, AT&T’s 3G coverage is nowhere near as extensive as their older GPRS technology.

As far as reception in general due to case design, Ars Technical reports that both Engadget and Gizmodo have had some hands-on time with the new phone, saying:

Reception is noticeably better, with Lam proclaiming “I can’t even believe this is frigging AT&T anymore.”

ok, but for my own knowledge, if you have a phone with full 3G coverage and the same phone with 2G or whatever the first iPhone is, which one has a better call quality, only due to signal type, nothing to do with case design or the like

It completely depends on how far from the mast in question you are. If you are in a place that is closer to a 2G mast than a 3G mast, the 2G would have better reception. Completely and utterly depends on geography. If you are the same distance from a 2G and a 3G it wouldn’t matter a snot. Not for making and receiving calls like itmustbeken is asking about.

At least I think that’s what you’re asking

so 3G speed doesnt factor in to call connection speed. a 2G phone uses the same signal as a 3G phone for calls but different for data like internet stuff?

Well that’s my understanding anyhoo.

@skiier, sounds like you’re kinda mixing some different concepts.

3G is going to provide more bandwidth. That means that the sound quality of a voice call can be improved as the signal need not be compressed so much. Will you be able to tell the difference? I dunno.

That same bandwidth improvement means that more data can be transferred in the same amount of time (faster is a misnomer).

So, I’m not sure what you have in mind saying “call connection speed”... but I hope that helps a little. Your calls won’t connect any faster… but more data can be transferred and voice quality should improve (vs. 2.5G).

thats what i meant robmandu, thanks. and how can you not say that faster is the same thing as “more data in teh same amount of time”

thanks again

”Not faster” as in “the speed of light is a constant” (relatively speaking).

More bandwidth is available because a fatter pipe is being used.

Another analogy is to compare your typical 6-lane 70mph interstate to a two-lane backcountry 70mph state hiway. They both run at the same speed, but more cars can go thru in the same amount of time on the interstate.

That’s why faster is a misnomer. Although, that seems to be the best fitting adjective to describe the end-user experience. You can get your task done faster because more data is able to come thru.

nice, thanks. the highway reference did it.

@robmandu: Thanks for the link to AT&T’s Coverage Map. I’ve been on the fence about the new 3G iPhone for this very reason. I live in Boston and after seeing the map, both the 3G and non-3G coverage is very saturated in my area – so I’m happy.

Guess what I’m getting this week? :-)

Um eh.

A colonoscopy?
Am I right?

EDIT: Kinda strange that that was the first thing into my mind eh

er, no. But now I’m a tad concerned about you osullivanbr.

Don’t worry about it, kinda concerned about myself at this point.

well you cant be getting an iPhone 3G this week, what is it

Maybe a DRE?

Well if it’s a 3G iPhone he’s looking to get this week, and sees a DRE as an option, he deserves an award from Apple for being so committed, and leaving no stone unturned to find one.

Oh God – imagine.

oops sorry – in two weeks. (Really need to check the date occasionally)

iPhone 3G that is.

oh there’s a lot if us wish it was just a week my friend.

Excellent, thanks for the info. (man I love fluther…)
I did stop by the ATT site to check the local coverage (http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer/) and 3G seems to blanket my area. I’d love to know how you can find out where the towers are. I’m sure our past experience with their coverage has something to do with that.

What I might do is just go ahead and grab one, try it out for a week. I’ll pay the restocking fee again if it doesn’t work… I’ve been through a Motorola Q9c and now the Instinct…neither of them are anywhere as good as the iPhone.

Update: Apple 2.0 cautions against using the coverage map I linked above. Apparently it’s fed with March 31, 2008 data that does not reflect the massive spring buildout of 3G.

If you really want to know if you can take full advantage of the iPhone 3G’s capabilities where you live, your best bet is to see if your hometown appears on AT&T current list of “cities supporting AT&T 3G/mobile broadband” here.