Desire S "Grip of Death"

[JonathonDesmond]

I've got a brand new Desire S and I love it. Fast, smooth, responsive. Battery life (OK, over my total 2 days of ownership only!) has been brilliant - 9% drop overnight for example.

I'm about to return it.

Why? Because of one thing that makes it almost unusable.

I am, of course, referring to the "Grip of Death" - as per the iPhone 4.

There are a few oblique references to this on the net, but I can't find any detailed posts.

Some mention has been made about this only being a WiFi issue, and it is true that WiFi is badly affected. However I also see 3G signal drops when I hold the phone in portrait mode with my hand wrapping around the base (as most people would in normal "phone" use) - which is, of course, where the antenna is (incorporated into the battery cover)

The WiFi drops on mine are tragic - I can be 3 metres from an access point and if you hold the phone incorrectly (!) the WiFi signal drops out completely and you are on 3G data. Even if directly under the AP you can easily get the signal indicator to drop from full to under 50%.

However the 3G drops are also bad. In my flat, which has a good signal, I can get to one or zero bars of 3G signal just by picking up the phone.

So I have a phone that is unreliable in picking up calls, switches to 3G data when there is a perfectly good AP just nearby, and is basically, generally unreliable.

It's a shame because, apart from this, it's a brilliant little device.

Am I the only one affected this badly? Maybe I have a poor example?

I have a case arriving today to see if it will help. Otherwise it's back to the shop!

 

[kartikk]

hmm..you are the first person to report a drop in 3g signal
can any one else confirm this?
or is it just that the OP got a defective unit?
(i am unable to test as i still dont have my device yet )

 

[colgate13]

I'm wondering if only certain phones are affected. Engadget doesn't mention it and this review specifically says it isn't a problem. It is a mixed bag of responses from posters here. Is it possible that Techradar got an early review model and the problem has since been fixed? You think HTC would comment one way or another since this could affect sales.

 

[TheUndutchable]

Just tried it on my DS, but the death grip does not influence my 3G signal.

With wifi on, I manage to lose only a little bit of signal while holding it in such an unnatural way that it will never occur using it normally.

 

[kartikk]

Just tried it on my DS, but the death grip does not influence my 3G signal.

With wifi on, I manage to lose only a little bit of signal while holding it in such an unnatural way that it will never occur using it normally.

can you try covering the back of your device as much as you can with your hands & test the wifi & 3g signal?
it would be very helpful for us

 

[TheUndutchable]

Covered the back as much as I could, no problems with 3G, Wifi drops to zero...

 

[kartikk]

Covered the back as much as I could, no problems with 3G, Wifi drops to zero...

i am relived that there is no 3g signal drop
the wifi part is a bit depressing but i can manage without wifi...(but hope they fix it somehow)

@JonathonDesmond i think you got a defective unit try returning it for a new piece
& also tell us if the case helped

 

[TheUndutchable]

i am relived that there is no 3g signal drop
the wifi part is a bit depressing but i can manage without wifi...(but hope they fix it somehow)

You will never hold the phone like I did when using the phone normally. I pressed some buttons with my nose

 

[kartikk]

You will never hold the phone like I did when using the phone normally. I pressed some buttons with my nose

lol
but i hope htc does something like give replacement battery covers which fix the issue..because that is the only hardware defect that people are exaggerating about..

 

[fallenguru]

Ok, a few tests, as long as I still have it:

Portrait mode:
No issues in normal one- or two-handed operation.
As soon as something, e. g. my hand, covers the top plastic part at the back the wifi signal goes from all bars down to the dot, or disconnects entirely. I'm not so sure about the mobile signal, some of the time it drops to about half the bars it's had before, but with a considerable delay, and it's a bit erratic at the best of times, so it might just as well be other (environmental) causes.

Landscape:
I really only do this two-handed, with the left hand holding the phone, fingers bunched behind it, thumb in front, covering the HTC logo and first few mm of the screen; the right hand operates and/or stabilizes the phone.
This instantly kills the wifi stone cold dead. 3G actually stayed the same or got better(!)

To sum up: wifi is badly affected to the point of uselessness, 3G doesn't seem to be.

 

[kartikk]

hmm..
can you try the wifi again in landscape? this time without touching the aluminum part of the phone?
(dont cover the aluminum part with your hand or any other item)

 

[fallenguru]

can you try the wifi again in landscape? this time without touching the aluminum part of the phone?

Actually, I don't see how that would be possible? Covering the top plastic part without covering anything else, I mean. I tried a few contortions and nearly dropped it.
Care to elaborate?

 

[kartikk]

it is a bit tricky i know (dont drop your phone trying lol)
how about putting on top of two books?(such that the books only touch the plastic )
i just want to know if it is the metal chassis which is causing this problem

 

[fallenguru]

Good thinking!

Desire S propped up on two stacks of books so that nothing touches the alu parts: all bars. (It did drop one bar from time to time, but that's just normal fluctuations, whereas putting it down on a desk or something reliably takes it down a notch.)

 

[mariu$]

please people contact htc

 

[fallenguru]

please people contact htc

Why? We arent't their QA department and I've no hopes of getting more than ... err ... yes, "You're holding it wrong." in soothing customer rep speak. Raising awareness of the issue is the best one can do, IMHO - once the tech mainstream press picks this up there's at least a chance of a fix. (That is, if one is actually possible, it might be a concession to the design.)

 

[E-Tech]

Why? We arent't their QA department and I've no hopes of getting more than ... err ... yes, "You're holding it wrong." in soothing customer rep speak. Raising awareness of the issue is the best one can do, IMHO - once the tech mainstream press picks this up there's at least a chance of a fix. (That is, if one is actually possible, it might be a concession to the design.)

i'm in contact whit the HTC Dutch support desk. After a view mails whit the 1st line of support they send me to the technical support.

It looks like that they are doing there job.

 

[ignited]

i tried and tried and tried again... i couldnt find any sings of the grip of death!!

 

[kartikk]

Good thinking!

Desire S propped up on two stacks of books so that nothing touches the alu parts: all bars. (It did drop one bar from time to time, but that's just normal fluctuations, whereas putting it down on a desk or something reliably takes it down a notch.)

just as i thought it is the metal chasis....
i have heard that wifi has problems passing through metal...
if this really is the reason then i think nothing much can be done ...
can someone else also verify this?

 

[shanz]

just got phone and wifi definitely drops when held landscape