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

[smoking monkey]

This situation is absolutely outrageous.

I want to buy a Max but with all this trouble who could honestly do so.

most important things I need a phone for
1. Watching videos
2. Stong tethering connection via data
3. International calls via data
4. Watching NRL via data or wifi
5. My camera of choice

Of course local calls are important along with maps, web and a couple of apps.
2-4 are reliant on this not being a problem.

Not since the 4 has there been a situation as bad as this... or maybe its barely a problem. Who knows because Apple won’t say anything. But it seems people are getting jacked off about it. And rightly so.

 

[OTACORB]

I got back into the game with another XS Max yesterday after I got $500 in gift cards for some older stuff I sent to Brightstar. So far so good... rocking wifi no issues. I've made several calls and used the phone all day without a single issue. I do think Apple will make some tweaks to the LTE algorithm in terms of bands and tower switching. It may even take some tweaking of the carriers themselves. However, as it stands now I don't see myself returning this one because unlike the other one that couldn't connect or stay connected to wifi. I have no such issues. LTE field test indicates for the most part is is on par with the iPhone 8+ which I have for my work phone.

 

[Gathomblipoob]

I got back into the game with another XS Max yesterday after I got $500 in gift cards for some older stuff I sent to Brightstar. So far so good... rocking wifi no issues. I've made several calls and used the phone all day without a single issue. I do think Apple will make some tweaks to the LTE algorithm in terms of bands and tower switching. It may even take some tweaking of the carriers themselves. However, as it stands now I don't see myself returning this one because unlike the other one that couldn't connect or stay connected to wifi. I have no such issues. LTE field test indicates for the most part is is on par with the iPhone 8+ which I have for my work phone.

No issues here, either. Xs Max 256GB Gold.

 

[Raudy5]

I gave up and returned it. Fortunately, still have my 8+ because ATT takes over a month to charge you if you don’t send in your old one.

I was going to get an XR but then I saw a different phone that blew it out of the water in terms of signal. Goodbye for now iPhones, I hope you get your ____ together for 5G, I’d love to come back. Signal is now my everything when buying phones. This experience taught me that. A lot of it has to do with your use case and geography, so this is just one man’s experience, but bad Wi-Fi inside my home office is unacceptable, and I can barely make a call anywhere indoors. It’s especially unfortunate tgat Apple is pretending this is not a thing. It is.

 

[Lerxt]

This is interesting. I’m roaming in the UK right now, with my Hong Kong dual “real” sim XS Max. Both SIM cards are connected to the same network but have very different signal strengths.

Why?

 

[Sypark]

What did you get that has great signal?
Thinking of getting the small pixel 3. Does anyone know if the signal is okay for that?

 

[Lerxt]

What did you get that has great signal?
Thinking of getting the small pixel 3. Does anyone know if the signal is okay for that?

This is an Apple forum, who cares what a Pixel or any other phone gets?

 

[Sypark]

Fair enough.
Currently returned 2x iphone Xs due to poor reception and using a note 8.
Great reception on this phone. Better than my iphone 8 plus. Just saying...

 

[Nhwhazup]

I’m heading down to Apple this morning to pick up my 2nd Max. The first one had horrible cellular connectivity and was returned. I hoping the first was a lemon and just from a bad batch.

I was just going to just wait and get an XR but I’m going to give the Max one more chance as it’s really the one I want.

 

[tigres]

I’m heading down to Apple this morning to pick up my 2nd Max. The first one had horrible cellular connectivity and was returned. I hoping the first was a lemon and just from a bad batch.

I was just going to just wait and get an XR but I’m going to give the Max one more chance as it’s really the one I want.

You won’t see a change, I did the same thing for the same problem. 2nd phone is going to have to go back- going to a 7.

 

[Nhwhazup]

You won’t see a change, I did the same thing for the same problem. 2nd phone is going to have to go back- going to a 7.

Maybe I’ll have them set it up as new in the store and check things out before I even leave.

I’m hopeful but won’t really be surprised if the 2nd one is faulty as well.
[doublepost=1539521800][/doublepost]

Maybe I’ll have them set it up as new in the store and check things out before I even leave.

I’m hopeful but won’t really be surprised if the 2nd one is faulty as well.

I still have my 6S Plus which still is great. But I really want a new phone.

 

[Frankfurt]

I’m heading down to Apple this morning to pick up my 2nd Max. The first one had horrible cellular connectivity and was returned. I hoping the first was a lemon and just from a bad batch.

I was just going to just wait and get an XR but I’m going to give the Max one more chance as it’s really the one I want.

It is worth a try. My XS has zero issues and a great screen. I took it on a trip across a few states in the Midwest and to Europe. There was no noticeable difference in connectivity vs my previous iPhone 7. I think there is a random bad batch with malfunctioning hardware. I also believe there will be an iOS / Carrier firmware update to improve transition across carrier bands / towers - same as with iOS 10 and iPhone 7 Verizon two years back.

 

[elitypes]

Suddenly the apple support technician I have been working with is not responsive. No replies to my emails. No returned phone calls. I’m not jumping to conspiracy theories, but this is extremely frustrating.

Again I know that software fixes take time (if this is indeed software), but communication should be their number one priority. Even if this is determined to be a small percentage of users with a bad batch or whatever. How is it acceptable to be so proactive with damage control, proactive with searching out people who have posted about the problem, proactive with collecting logs, and then completely drop off communication? This doesn’t help the growing feeling that we are being ignored.

So many people have posted to swap or return the phone. So many others here have done so with zero changes. I’m really curious as to the few who claim to have exchanged and received a properly working unit.

Rolltide1 any updates on your fourth XS Max? I’m really losing faith in Apple at this point. Another weekend where I couldn’t get my phone to work. Went for a drive and my phone would not connect and I couldn’t use waze/gps. This is getting unbelievable now.

 

[decypher44]

Suddenly the apple support technician I have been working with is not responsive. No replies to my emails. No returned phone calls. I’m not jumping to conspiracy theories, but this is extremely frustrating.

Yeah, that doesn’t sound good at all. Seems like it’s possible they were told not to say anything further to us. And before some tells me to adjust my tin foil hat, this happens. The company I work for has told us that a hundred different times over the past 20 years I’ve been there.

 

[rotobadger]

Been following this thread for the whole time. Currently on a 6s and SE and finally made the decision to upgrade. Now, I’m incredibly discouraged about the reports of these issues. I know many are saying “it’s a bad batch” or “it’ll get fixed” but why would I spend $1200 on a gamble? MAYBE I’ll get lucky? Maybe I won’t? I don’t want to spend the next two weeks exchanging phones and explaining to Apple employees over and over what my issues are. And then have to tell them “no, I won’t restore as a new phone, no I don’t need to change my SIM card. No, I don’t need to contact Verizon because it’s ‘their fault’. No, I don’t want to provide Apple with data to fix their problem.” You get the idea.

I’m likely just going to get an X instead and then see what happens in the next few months.

And, for the tin foil hat crowd, here’s my take on Apple’s refusal to acknowledge the issue:

They’ve determined that it’s easier and will cost them less money to simply placate the complainers with replacement phones rather than have to roll out a recall and change the chip that’s (maybe) causing these issues. They simply have to hold their ground until fall of ‘19. They know they’ll take a bit of a PR hit but ultimately will recover and this will be forgotten by 2020. It’s all about $ and what scenario is best for their financial damage control.

Again, that’s just my completely uninformed opinion. Regardless, I too am very disappointed in Apple.

 

[gadgetfreaky]

Been following this thread for the whole time. Currently on a 6s and SE and finally made the decision to upgrade. Now, I’m incredibly discouraged about the reports of these issues. I know many are saying “it’s a bad batch” or “it’ll get fixed” but why would I spend $1200 on a gamble? MAYBE I’ll get lucky? Maybe I won’t? I don’t want to spend the next two weeks exchanging phones and explaining to Apple employees over and over what my issues are. And then have to tell them “no, I won’t restore as a new phone, no I don’t need to change my SIM card. No, I don’t need to contact Verizon because it’s ‘their fault’. No, I don’t want to provide Apple with data to fix their problem.” You get the idea.

I’m likely just going to get an X instead and then see what happens in the next few months.

And, for the tin foil hat crowd, here’s my take on Apple’s refusal to acknowledge the issue:

They’ve determined that it’s easier and will cost them less money to simply placate the complainers with replacement phones rather than have to roll out a recall and change the chip that’s (maybe) causing these issues. They simply have to hold their ground until fall of ‘19. They know they’ll take a bit of a PR hit but ultimately will recover and this will be forgotten by 2020. It’s all about $ and what scenario is best for their financial damage control.

Again, that’s just my completely uninformed opinion. Regardless, I too am very disappointed in Apple.

anyone who tries to fix the issue by replacing their iPhone is what I'd characterize as Tin hat.
it's the exact same chips and RF profile in each device

I had mentioned when beta 3 launched that LTE issues appear to be addressed and the wifi issues are 100% addressed. the phone has zero to do with it.

 

[triangletechie]

I have ATT fiber 1000 and my XS Max wifi speeds are all over the place. Usually the upload suffers with severely low speeds around 60 mbps. I did the quick fix update Apple sent out previously to 12.0.1 but it hasn't helped. Even the ATT Smart Home app discovered "weak 5g reception" from the Max. I'm sure a software update will take care of these issues permanently. Is this something we can expect in 12.1?

 

[DotCom2]

Guys:
I felt a lil bit better this morning (laid up sick) to go outside with spouses iPhone X to do a comparison. This is just outside in my backyard which has very bad cell reception. I feel the best way to compare is against a known good iPhone which is the X I handed down and works perfectly.

This comparison is against an iPhone X and my THIRD iPhone Max. The other two Max performed horribly against the X.
I put both the X and the Max in field test mode and walked around getting different readings. I have good news. My new (3rd) Max did as well as the X and held up at all spots vacillating in all areas between -106 to -120, just like the X did, which is normal for this bad area. It stayed right along with the iPhone X. So this is good news for MY Max anyway, but not for the idea that it's not hardware. This is just a very small test but I am hopeful this new Max is a good one.

I might have a chance later today to be able to get my hands on the iPhone X again and this time drive around town and compare both phones that way.

Also, we are planning to go to Disneyland again in a few weeks and I will be able to test all along the way there as well.
Last time we went I had the 2nd Max and not my current Max and the reception was a horrible comparison against the X.

I am still hoping it's a software issue but for now it's looking more and more to me as a hardware issue. It's probably both though.

Good luck to all getting a replacement Max.

 

[adamrobertt]

This is interesting. I’m roaming in the UK right now, with my Hong Kong dual “real” sim XS Max. Both SIM cards are connected to the same network but have very different signal strengths.

Why?

Hmm, this is very interesting. Maybe it really is just a software/network communication issue?

 

[Wags]

Seems just to be US. So something to do that way.

 

[SnyG]

Really no complaints outside US. Got to be with US carriers and XS set up. To be determined how this gets fixed.

I think so too to be honest. I’m not sure where the thread about UK users has gone but everyone that replied to it bar maybe one or two was having no issues. That was across all of the major carriers over here.

 

[PBz]

Guys:
I felt a lil bit better this morning (laid up sick) to go outside with spouses iPhone X to do a comparison. This is just outside in my backyard which has very bad cell reception. I feel the best way to compare is against a known good iPhone which is the X I handed down and works perfectly.

This comparison is against an iPhone X and my THIRD iPhone Max. The other two Max performed horribly against the X.
I put both the X and the Max in field test mode and walked around getting different readings. I have good news. My new (3rd) Max did as well as the X and held up at all spots vacillating in all areas between -106 to -120, just like the X did, which is normal for this bad area. It stayed right along with the iPhone X. So this is good news for MY Max anyway, but not for the idea that it's not hardware. This is just a very small test but I am hopeful this new Max is a good one.

I might have a chance later today to be able to get my hands on the iPhone X again and this time drive around town and compare both phones that way.

Also, we are planning to go to Disneyland again in a few weeks and I will be able to test all along the way there as well.
Last time we went I had the 2nd Max and not my current Max and the reception was a horrible comparison against the X.

I am still hoping it's a software issue but for now it's looking more and more to me as a hardware issue. It's probably both though.

Good luck to all getting a replacement Max.

Glad you are feeling better. Thank you for the update.

 

[DotCom2]

.

 

[sstiwari]

I was very scared to upgrade to iPhone XS Max due to ongoing discussions this thread as we don't have any return policy here in India. However, in the festive season here with discount of US$ 200, I took the plunge and got an iPhone XS Max 256 GB.

In my apartment which has very poor signal, I used to have frequent voice breaks with Pixel 2 and Qualcomm iPhone 8 Plus. Made 5 calls with new apple, no issues so far in LTE. So LTE performance is as good as iPhone 8 Plus; if not better.

WiFi connection seems better w.r.t. iPhone 8 Plus, and there is seamless switching between 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz Bands, though the coverage of 5 GHz appears to be a bit reduced, just a bit.

So far so good. Happy that I upgraded. Will test more and will confirm in case of any issues.

 

[Otflyer]

Guys:
I felt a lil bit better this morning (laid up sick) to go outside with spouses iPhone X to do a comparison. This is just outside in my backyard which has very bad cell reception. I feel the best way to compare is against a known good iPhone which is the X I handed down and works perfectly.

This comparison is against an iPhone X and my THIRD iPhone Max. The other two Max performed horribly against the X.
I put both the X and the Max in field test mode and walked around getting different readings. I have good news. My new (3rd) Max did as well as the X and held up at all spots vacillating in all areas between -106 to -120, just like the X did, which is normal for this bad area. It stayed right along with the iPhone X. So this is good news for MY Max anyway, but not for the idea that it's not hardware. This is just a very small test but I am hopeful this new Max is a good one.

I might have a chance later today to be able to get my hands on the iPhone X again and this time drive around town and compare both phones that way.

Also, we are planning to go to Disneyland again in a few weeks and I will be able to test all along the way there as well.
Last time we went I had the 2nd Max and not my current Max and the reception was a horrible comparison against the X.

I am still hoping it's a software issue but for now it's looking more and more to me as a hardware issue. It's probably both though.

Good luck to all getting a replacement Max.

I was at Disneyland week before last and will be waiting for your feedback. Connectivity on cellular was terrible. Main issue was coming out of a no signal area phone would not reconnect without rebooting phone. Even in some open air areas I would have no signal and my wife and daughters 7+’s did. I returned my XS Max upon my return. My 2nd phone has worked perfectly in every way but, I live in the San Francisco area where coverage is good. I haven’t ventured outside my area since received the new phone. I have gone into buildings I know have poor cellular connectivity but, phone has been perfect.