Ive tested the device with a Tmobile sim, i get the same results but no as bad as Vodafone UK.
On Vodafone it goes from H 3 bars down to G 1 bar.
On Tmobile it start off with the full 5 then drops down to 1 to 3 bars on H.
I will made a vid when i have time and post it up.
As im still waiting on my ebay case to turn up, i dont know if this will resolve the problem.
I will be contacting HTC tomorrow, to see what they have to say.
They will say the same thing they said when they got called out during "Antennagate."
http://www.gsmarena.com/antennagate_2_htc_responds_to_the_hd7_antenna_death_grip-news-2117.php
---------- Post added at 02:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:45 PM ----------
Mine isn't so bad. I just received it yesterday and while the radio on it doesn't beat out the focus it works well. I'm not too impressed with the supposedly infinitely better battery life though...
The issue is two-fold:
HTC phones even with equivalent Radios (which is in the SoC, BTW), have worse signal quality than phones for other manufacturers.
HTC phones suffered from Death Grip issues with the same internals when other OEMs' phones did not.
The HD7/Focus is just one example. It happens a lot in their Android phones. The HD2 had Death Grip/Weak Signal issues, as well.
It has something to do with how they design their antennas, and they don't seem to be taking a hint and trying to remedy the issue.
The bigger the phone is, the more of an issue is becomes becaue the more of your hand you have to use to reliably hold the device while talking.
Also, in low-coverage areas dropping 2-3 bars can be the difference between talking on the phone, and dropping a call. It affects data speeds a lot, as well.
As for the battery, every OEM claims infinitely better battery life just cause they added a few hundred mAh to the battery size. They just forget to mention that the increase in other specs and hardware pretty much cancels that out
