How's your iPhone 7 (non-Plus) reception?

[Kaido]

I just got an iPhone 7 and have 3 complaints:

1. Everyone says I sound like I'm inside a tunnel - I can hear them fine, but my call quality going out is super choppy & digital.

2. When people talk, the phone physically vibrates from the speaker (not speakerphone, just when you hold it up to your ear). It also sounds very echo-y. It's like there's a hollow area around the earpiece speaker that is vibrating the phone itself & reflecting the sound as a tiny echo.

3. The vibrate motor for silent alerts like SMS or calls is super weak. I've missed a lot of calls because I can't feel it buzz.

Fresh, out-of-the-box iPhone 7, only had it a few days. No case to interfere. Disabled wi-fi assist, but that didn't help. Did the usual reboot, reset network settings, etc. I'm having Verizon send me a new one, just not sure if that's the norm or if I get a lemon. Pretty much the worst iPhone I've ever had. On the flip side, the camera is great & having 256 gigs of storage is awesome.

 

[Tyranicus]

1. No one has complained about my outgoing call quality. I don't make very many calls, but I've had an iPhone 7 for several months now, so I think someone would have mentioned it by now.

2. I don't notice any vibration on calls, but I have felt it a bit in my hands when watching videos or listening to music through the speaker.

3. I haven't noticed any difference in the vibrate motor from the 6 or 6S. I do miss the old pre-6 vibrate motor though.

 

[FIVR]

I have an AT&T A1778 Matte black and it is a nightmare in terms of one thing: Reception. It gets about 1-2 less bars than my previous iPhone 6s on average .... but it is worse everywhere. I have no idea how one of the good qualcomm iPhones performs... but based on the performance of my iPhone 6s (also qualcomm) it must be a dream to be able to receive and make calls <100ft from a large building or hill, or on the first floor of a building.


Otherwise it's great... camera is amazing and it looks sublime. It's a shite phone though.

 

[Tyranicus]

Oh yeah. I forgot there were two different models this time. My carrier is Sprint, so I have the Qualcomm radio. I haven't noticed any difference in cell reception over my 6S.

 

[swanysto]

I have an ATT black Matte as well, but I don't have any reception issues other than the typical ATT black holes which are like 500sf areas around town. I work in a block building, and still get crystal clear calls/

I have gotten the tunnel issue, but it is usually if the phone has not been restarted in a few days. Goes away immediately after I reboot.

 

[Tegeril]

Haven't noticed any of these problems. Using TMO.

 

[KentState]

The reception on my Verizon Note5 is better than my iPhone 7 Plus when they sit side-by-side. I also see that my wife's S7 Edge gets slightly better reception. I now keep Wifi on 100% of the time, even though I don't have a data cap because it was dropping to 3G. Something I never saw, but on the rarest occasion with the Note 5.

We both use VoLTE for calling and it sounds good on both ends regardless of signal strength. Did you have that feature turned on?

 

[Kaido]

I got the replacement in:

1. It says "like-new certified replacement". Purchased new 2/20, replacement sent 2/28. What the crap. I just bought a new phone and they give me a used one as a replacement?? I am not shelling out the $$$ for that, no way!

2. In testing, call quality is way better. Phone doesn't vibrate from the speaker working when talking. No echo effect. Calls go through (well, so far in my limited testing; I actually get a full bar more of reception). Seems my original 7 was simply a lemon. That's a relief.

3. However, the touchscreen on the new (used) replacement only works intermittently. It's like it has a bad digitizer or something. Gotta replace this one too, ahh!

Going to see if I can get a full refund from Verizon (without a return fee, as they sent me defective equipment). Maybe I'll go with a the bigger iPhone. Bleh. I don't like big phones.

 

[Kaido]

Ahhhhh!

1. Spent an hour with Verizon online, got nowhere.
2. Tried calling a local store to see if they had stock, but apparently it's impossible to talk to people locally.
3. Drove down. Rep didn't help. Manager didn't help.
4. Next stop is the Apple Store to see if maybe they can swap me out.

I should really invest in a spare phone for times when my primary set goes down. This is so lame haha.

 

[KentState]

Email Lowell.mcadams@verizonwireless.com, spam their Twitter and Facebook pages.

 

[Kaido]

Email Lowell.mcadams@verizonwireless.com, spam their Twitter and Facebook pages.

Drove 30 minutes to the nearest Apple Store & spent an hour going nowhere. Apparently the Apple store doesn't offer the same level of support if you buy it from Verizon instead of them. Going to call Verizon next & see if I can get anywhere.

The Apple store was willing to support the original new phone, but they won't do the refurb phones they send out as replacements. Fortunately I had both. They didn't find anything wrong with the original phone, although it was clearly off (full dropped signal bar, call quality, etc.), but he couldn't replace it since (1) the diagnostics were all green, and (2) I didn't buy it straight from Apple. Arg! Next time I will buy it from Apple & have them activate it, this has been a real headache...blew a whole day on a stupid phone

 

[Kaido]

Spent awhile on the phone with Verizon (been a customer for 10 years). No luck. All they're willing to do is send me out another refurb iPhone 7. I'm not too excited about having to pay monthly for a used phone (when I paid for a new phone), but I guess it's my own fault for not realizing that the return window is only 14 days at Verizon, otherwise they send you a refurb as a replacement. Hopefully third time is the charm...

I think I'll pay to get my SE repaired so I have a backup phone so I never have to go through such a waste of time again, bleh.

 

[KentState]

That really sucks. I haven't had to buy a phone in a long time as an end-user, but will be going to Apple directly when that day comes. While Apple Care is a nice chunk of change, I've had far better luck in the past dealing directly with them.

 

[Kaido]

That really sucks. I haven't had to buy a phone in a long time as an end-user, but will be going to Apple directly when that day comes. While Apple Care is a nice chunk of change, I've had far better luck in the past dealing directly with them.

I will purchase my next iPhone directly through Apple as well. AppleCare has decent incident rates:

https://support.apple.com/iphone/repair/service/express-replacement

 

[Kaido]

Got the third one in & setup today:

1. For some reason, it refused to talk to the activation server via wi-fi. Tried multiple reboots. I had to hook it up to a computer to iTunes to complete the activation.

2. It froze up after I setup Touch ID. I set a PIN, re-entered the PIN, and it frozen up. No button response. Had to do a hard reboot on it (I let it sit for awhile too, just in case it was "thinking").

3. Voice quality is like a million times better, extremely clear. No dropped calls yet. Nobody complains that I sound like a robot. No vibration when people talk. And so far the touchscreen hasn't frozen up.

Fingers crossed this one is a good one! I'm still peeved that I'm paying like thirty bucks a month for a refurb phone now, but at least it's operational. And I learned my lesson...buy it through the Apple Store next time. And get AppleCare if I plan on keeping it for awhile, lol.

 

[swanysto]

"And I learned my lesson...buy it through the Apple Store next time. And get AppleCare if I plan on keeping it for awhile, lol."

Kinda sad that so many companies are in the business of teaching lessons these days. We need to have lawyers at hand to buy stuff now.

 

[FIVR]

^Kaido

What model did they give you for the replacement? A1778? My reception is terrible and my theory is that it's because the A1778 uses the CAT10 28nm Intel XMM7360 while the other model has the GSM/CDMA Qualcomm 20nm CAT12 modem.

 

[Kaido]

^Kaido

What model did they give you for the replacement? A1778? My reception is terrible and my theory is that it's because the A1778 uses the CAT10 28nm Intel XMM7360 while the other model has the GSM/CDMA Qualcomm 20nm CAT12 modem.

I have the A1660 (Qualcomm) on my current model. This is my third iPhone 7 (it is a refurb). So...I haven't dropped calls yet...but the call quality gets really awful (after using it for the past week). If I am sitting near a window & have it on my right ear facing the window, it's clear, and if I swap sides, I can hear people, but they say I break up like mad. Places that I used to talk in all the time (different worksites, rooms in my house, etc.) now sound awful.

The vibration motor is also pathetic. I constantly miss calls & texts (I've missed a couple meetings because I didn't feel my phone vibration). I always left my SE on vibrate, no noise, because I tend to work in noisy environments.

Bottom line, I am not real happy with the 7. It is fast & the camera is good, but the vibration motor is useless & I'm constantly getting complaints that I'm breaking up - again, I can hear them clearly, but they can't hear me because I drop out. I don't understand why this isn't a 2-way problem. Incoming voice (them) is fine, outgoing voice (me) gets lousy often. This was a problem on my first (new) iPhone 7. My second iPhone 7 (refurb replacement) seemed to not have that issue at all. Third one is back to having it. Not pleased.

 

[Kaido]

^Kaido

What model did they give you for the replacement? A1778? My reception is terrible and my theory is that it's because the A1778 uses the CAT10 28nm Intel XMM7360 while the other model has the GSM/CDMA Qualcomm 20nm CAT12 modem.

I'll have to compare to my secondary iPhone 7 Plus. I ended up using one of the upgrades on my family plan to purchase it (monthly) for (1) a spare phone, and (2) to use as my video camera. I got an SPG Plus gimbal (motorized steadicam) for doing film projects with & decided to go with the Plus because of the dual lenses (4K shooting on the new Filmic Pro v6 update is incredible...don't even need my big cameras anymore!). I'll have to swap my SIM card into it this week & see how it compares for voice quality & motor strength. I want to primarily use that for video projects, however, so I'll be kind of bummed if it actually works better for voice calls

 

[x26]

I got the replacement in:

1. It says "like-new certified replacement". Purchased new 2/20, replacement sent 2/28. What the crap. I just bought a new phone and they give me a used one as a replacement?? I am not shelling out the $$$ for that, no way!

2. In testing, call quality is way better. Phone doesn't vibrate from the speaker working when talking. No echo effect. Calls go through (well, so far in my limited testing; I actually get a full bar more of reception). Seems my original 7 was simply a lemon. That's a relief.

3. However, the touchscreen on the new (used) replacement only works intermittently. It's like it has a bad digitizer or something. Gotta replace this one too, ahh!

Going to see if I can get a full refund from Verizon (without a return fee, as they sent me defective equipment). Maybe I'll go with a the bigger iPhone. Bleh. I don't like big phones.

That's Bullshit!!
Swap a Brand New Phone for a Used One?? No Way Jose'.
Go get your $$ Back or a Brand New in Box Replacement!!

 

[Kaido]

Swap a Brand New Phone for a Used One?? No Way Jose'.
Go get your $$ Back or a Brand New in Box Replacement!!

Verizon gives you a 14-day window to return your original purchase. After that, they send you a certified used model. No workarounds. Spend 2 days trying to circumvent that rule. No dice. Yes, I am currently paying a monthly fee for a used iPhone. Total garbage. My future iPhone purchases will be directly from Apple.

 

[x26]

Verizon gives you a 14-day window to return your original purchase. After that, they send you a certified used model. No workarounds. Spend 2 days trying to circumvent that rule. No dice. Yes, I am currently paying a monthly fee for a used iPhone. Total garbage. My future iPhone purchases will be directly from Apple.

Wow!! Verizon Sucks!! But we all knew that already.

 

[Kaido]

Update:

1. Reception turned out to still be awful (not as bad as the original phone, but like, 80% as bad). Turned on wi-fi assist, that helps, but will also magically fail calls. Note, this is the third replacement I've received from Verizon.

2. Proximity sensor went out 2 weeks ago. My cheek now Facetimes or mutes or hangs up on people. Very awkward.

3. The side power button quit being clicky 2 days ago. It's mushy. No visible issues, tried cleaning it anyway, no dice.

Worst iPhone model I've ever had, three in a row. Currently eyeing the 8 or maybe the X (ouch, $$$). Lesson learned here - buy direct from Apple, don't buy from Verizon. Apple has a (seemingly) much more generous user satisfaction policy.

 

[Kaido]

AHHHHHHHH I'M NOT CRAZY!!!

https://www.engadget.com/2018/02/02/apple-iphone-7-no-service/

I have a A1660 model, so the repair is covered!

 

[Ezra. W]

I can hear people very well when making a phone call, but I’m not sure if they felt the same way. You just reminded me to have a check on that. As for the vibration, I did felt some when playing music on the speaker. Sometimes, it was hard for my iPhone7 to search wifi signal and I don’t know if it is a problem.