iPhone XS Max Is the mobile reception on the xs Max even worse than iPhone X ?

[Sparky2012]

I have read 95% of the posts in this thread.. I am sure I missed a few. Thank you to the people who are sharing their experience with this issue.

I am an 8+ owner who was torn between the XS and XSM. After reading all of these posts I am in absolutely no hurry to upgrade. I want the ‘new’ phone but there is no way I am dealing with the issue/return/deal-with-it on RF right now.

I believe there is an issue. I also believe we will see 12.0.1 today or Monday. I hope it gets resolved so people can enjoy their new (and very expensive) devices.

I’m in the same boat as you. I have the 8 Plus but my friend is buying it in November (although I have been tempted a few times to just buy the Max beforehand), and so I hope the problems with the new XS and XS Max are sorted as soon as possible since I really don’t want to deal with these issues either.

I definitely believe there are multiple issues with the new phones right now and so I’ll join the crowd which says we all want our devices to work reliably, and to perform better than the device we’re replacing. Let Apple log the data and hopefully a resolution can swiftly be found.

 

[jtrue28]

I enjoy the folks who have wifi internet speeds <100mbs coming on here saying they don't see any problems. Of course you don't. 2.4ghz N band can run no problem < 100. Those of us who expect to see better performance while on wifi can clearly see that the AC band is not being used full time, as it should be.

 

[Donaltman3]

They couldn’t fix mine at the Apple store and so I returned it. They didn’t seem too interested at looking at it to test further. They quickly passed me off to someone else to process the return. I’m hoping that they use it to test and help figure out the problem.

Did swapping phone make any difference.. did the new one perform better or the same?

 

[George Knighton]

I notice that the Apple online store has the 8 and 7 versions still for sale but none of the X’s. Did they sell out of these or did they just pull them off the market? Any thoughts?

I believe you will see them at some point. However, considering what many reviewers are saying about the relative performance increase between the 5.8" X and the 5.8" XS, I believe that Apple held onto any remaining stock in order not to give competition to the 5.8" XS.

This was the right move, IMHO.

Reviewers seem to see more of an advantage to the XS Max, but I believe that the X would have been real competition to the XS unless you had a real need or real desire for the things that differentiated the XS (gaming performance, T-Mobile performance, etc.).

 

[Nhwhazup]

Did swapping phone make any difference.. did the new one perform better or the same?

I didn’t get a new one. They didn’t have any in stock and I didn’t want to take a chance on getting the replacement after the return window. The Genius was also talking remanufactured phones and I wasn’t too keen on that idea. So I returned and am back to my 6S Plus. I will jump right back in and buy another Max if it ends up being only a software issue and fixes the problem completely. I don’t want a good enough phone but want a good one - if you know what I mean.

 

[Renho]

Someone posted this link in another thread. Test data submitted to the FCC shows somewhat poor results for the effective power output and antenna gain. Antenna gain should impact both the strength of the output of the phone as well as its reception.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/iphone-xs-rf-performance.2138078/#post-26473501

https://www.wiwavelength.com/2018/09/iphone-xs-and-xs-max-mostly-fail-to.html

If I am understanding this right, there isn’t a fix for this is there, Nothing software can do?

 

[AudibleNectar]

I enjoy the folks who have wifi internet speeds <100mbs coming on here saying they don't see any problems. Of course you don't. 2.4ghz N band can run no problem < 100. Those of us who expect to see better performance while on wifi can clearly see that the AC band is not being used full time, as it should be.

Don't know how much this helps, but I'm getting 130mbps down and 15 up (the limits of my current home internet) on the 5gig band (it's dedicated with own login, though) but has been really solid. My wifi is also doing well so far when I leave/come back reconnecting.

I have experienced an occasional glitch on the cells in weak areas (running speed tests) but have gotten similar performance to my 8 plus in every other area I can discern. Granted I'm limited to 5mbps on cell and 100mbps on internet down/15 up, but it's been OK so far. No issues with LTE flaking out either - no more so than my 8 plus with Qualcomm modem.

I suspect I'm not enough on the fringe to test outer limits but I've tried everything to compare short of leaving the county. I just might do some of that over the weekend and test it more. But the known flaky in-city places that I travel isn't exposing marked differences I can detect re: connectivity vs. the 8 plus, and believe me I'm looking

I DO, however notice that the 8 Plus sounds better on voice quality (Max not horrible, better than Samsung phones I've used, but 8 is better), but the Max has done well so far in the "stress test" my home presents (will be glitchy on occasion as I walk throughout my home back and forth as I talk on the 8 plus, on a network that doesn't do wi-fi calling). I have had some glitch with every phone I have used on cell here, and it has historically been a metric of separating men from boys when it comes to connectivity on a cell for calls. I can't call all my buddies and family and yap for an hour to each over three days of testing so far, but to date, OK - and will get more work this weekend, too.

All that said, it's not about "believing" current problems some are having (I do). But it does tell me that a LOT of the issues will be fixable in software. It remains to be seen what happens one that is optimized and the phones are operating more as "equals". I do suspect the antenna might still be an issue, but maybe there's capabilities in that 4x4 setup we don't know about yet??? That's the new "item" (along with the Intel modems) that are the "wait and see" items here.

I guess in one sense I'll still have an 8 Plus in the house (spouse) so there's that continued basis of comparison too if I end up keeping the Max.

 

[Renho]

Can it be enhanced with software updates or no? That’d be discouraging.

I don’t think it can. Or maybe the cell networks can introduce a patch.

 

[Juanefny]

Should we go to Apples Genius Bar or wait to see if iOS releases an update?

Is the problem big enough that you don’t have signal or are dropping calls left and right; or are you just having slower speeds that are usable? If it’s the latter, I would wait for an iOS update and see if that fixes it. But if the problem is keeping you from having reliable calls, or having enough speed to use the phone, then I would go to the Genius Bar.

In my case, the only issue I seem to be having is that the iOS seems to prefer the 2 ghz over the 5 ghz for wifi. I had to shut down the 2 one at home... and that’s fine for now, but I am looking forward to them fixing this.

 

[PBz]

Is the problem big enough that you don’t have signal or are dropping calls left and right; or are you just having slower speeds that are usable? If it’s the latter, I would wait for an iOS update and see if that fixes it. But if the problem is keeping you from having reliable calls, or having enough speed to use the phone, then I would go to the Genius Bar.

In my case, the only issue I seem to be having is that the iOS seems to prefer the 2 ghz over the 5 ghz for wifi. I had to shut down the 2 one at home... and that’s fine for now, but I am looking forward to them fixing this.

I have read reports here of dropped calls, video buffering/pausing and emails not loading. Those are core functions.

 

[Juanefny]

I have read reports here of dropped calls, video buffering/pausing and emails not loading. Those are core functions.

I have read about both types of issues, which is why I asked.

 

[Renho]

XS max, 5gz wireless AC at home! Porn comes in crystal clear!

 

[nephipower]

Is the problem big enough that you don’t have signal or are dropping calls left and right; or are you just having slower speeds that are usable? If it’s the latter, I would wait for an iOS update and see if that fixes it. But if the problem is keeping you from having reliable calls, or having enough speed to use the phone, then I would go to the Genius Bar.

In my case, the only issue I seem to be having is that the iOS seems to prefer the 2 ghz over the 5 ghz for wifi. I had to shut down the 2 one at home... and that’s fine for now, but I am looking forward to them fixing this.

Or instead of physically going to the Genius Bar which i hate because of how busy the store is. I greatly prefer calling into Applecare support and working with them. Especially since this should get handed up to a Sr Adviser I find they are generally better and more knowledgeable. Plus since they will need to communicate with engineering it is much easier to get follow up via phone or email.

 

[Smoothie]

If I am understanding this right, there isn’t a fix for this is there, Nothing software can do?

There are so many variables that could be contributing to this that we don't know what's causing the issue that some people are having. The article written by that engineer, who appears knowledgeable, suggests that the XS models have antennas with poor gain. (Radios having antennas with more gain will present a stronger signal to a remote receiver and will receive a stronger signal.) There's a synergy between hardware and software. It's possible that some software tweak might compensate for the physical antenna design, but the laws of physics can't be overcome unless you're a science fiction writer.

I hope that Apple's engineers can figure this out quickly. I was hoping to upgrade my iPhone 7 this year, but the XS prices really gave me pause. So I decided not to pre-order, and now I'm glad I resisted. I'll wait until I see what Apple does in response to this issue.

 

[PhillyGuy72]

This provides some professional proof.

I'm now convinced something is off. Wifi is eh, ok..it does feel slower on my network compared to my IP8+ (Wish I still had that phone to compare side by side..but I sold that)

BUT out again yesterday and using LTE...it's noticeably slower I think - at least on my end.

But 4G...forget it, the phone is useless - pretty much equal to "No Service" - BUT..that was on my previous iphone 6= and 8+. I blame junk ATT for that

 

[Renho]

There are so many variables that could be contributing to this that we don't know what's causing the issue that some people are having. The article written by that engineer, who appears knowledgeable, suggests that the XS models have antennas with poor gain. (Radios having antennas with more gain will present a stronger signal to a remote receiver and will receive a stronger signal.) There's a synergy between hardware and software. It's possible that some software tweak might compensate for the physical antenna design, but the laws of physics can't be overcome unless you're a science fiction writer.

I hope that Apple's engineers can figure this out quickly. I was hoping to upgrade my iPhone 7 this year, but the XS prices really gave me pause. So I decided not to pre-order, and now I'm glad I resisted. I'll wait until I see what Apple does in response to this issue.

Well shoot, first time I have ever had a problem with an iPhone. I’m not happy since paying $1400 for a device not up to par!

 

[The Doctor11]

View attachment 790018
XS max, 5gz wireless AC at home! Porn comes in crystal clear!

Well I guess we know what you're doing with that extra inch of screen.

 

[Renho]

Well I guess we know what you're doing with that extra inch of screen.

We all need the extra inches

 

[Tibits]

Have those experiencing issues tried swapping to a new SIM card?

 

[Freakonomics101]

Have those experiencing issues tried swapping to a new SIM card?

My friend tried that... made no difference.

 

[intervenient]

Silly question, but is this happening to people when a case is on the phone as well?

 

[PhillyGuy72]

Mind if you share that picture? Is it a clear shot of the moon or is it covered with fog as well?

Slight grain in the moon shot - it's not perfect by any means. I do think the fog helped getting more detail of the moon. Generally the night shots is FAR better than any camera on a phone I've owned, this was just using the rear camera, no app, editing. The other photo, Black and white..I did use the Obscura app (Apple App Stores offered this as a free download) RAW, DNG image that came out far better than I imagined!

I havent taken other night shots since, I want to mess with other apps I have using slow shutter (That worked out ok with my iPhone 8+) Focos also, few others, but the weather around here has been flat out rainy and simply miserable for...what feels like months.

Day shots, the portrait mode with SmartHDR, adjusting the F-Stop...very impressive!

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Using IOS Obsura App , DNG raw file

___
Last Sat. outside Apple store. (Nothing special, just testing Portrait mode, w/ F-Stop adjusting.)

 

[Smoothie]

Silly question, but is this happening to people when a case is on the phone as well?

The iPhone 4 (the "antenna-gate" phone) had a problem where holding the phone would create a coupling to the antennas that detuned them. A case or bumper helped there. I don't think a case makes a difference one way or the other regarding the XS issue.

 

[Jtludwig]

I don’t think it can. Or maybe the cell networks can introduce a patch.

No one on this board is qualified to make that statement.

 

[Renho]

No one on this board is qualified to make that statement.

Says who?