We know how important antenna reception is for smartphone users, so we prepared a list of 7 smartphones with the best antenna reception: 2016 models. Picking one of these smartphones will guarantee you will be able to make your calls no matter the location.
The strength of your cell signal depends on various elements: quality and strength of an antenna, cell tower distance, telecom service provider, the number of users on the network, etc. Location and surroundings (tall trees and buildings) are also major factors to be considered. These are the things that don’t necessarily depend on the user.
However, there are some things that you can do to ensure a better cell signal. For example, the protective case on your phone can be one of the reasons you have a bad reception. Depending on the material of the case, the case itself can lower the quality of your signal, which can be solved by removing the case or getting a protective case that is made to boost it. Also, there is a good chance that you will have a bad reception when your battery is low. When the battery drops to a certain level, the reception can get worse and the solution, of course, is to recharge your phone. You can also try refreshing your signal by rebooting the phone..
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The cell signal can also be affected by the software of the phone and the number of apps installed. If your operating system is outdated or you have a bunch of unnecessary applications, you are in for a bad reception. Many smartphone users try to fix their reception problems with cell signal boosting applications that became very common recently and are advertised as something that will fix all of your signal problems. The thing is that these applications will provide little help if you are hoping for a permanent fix. If cell signal isn’t your priority, but good call quality is, check out our list of 7 smartphones with the best call quality.
As the source for our list, we used a study conducted by Professor Gert Frølund Pedersen from Aalborg University, one of the leading experts in studying the smartphone antennas. This study investigated antenna performance of 26 smartphones including models from 2014 to 2016. The study included testing antenna reception for data service, and voice service while holding the smartphone with left and right hand. According to the study, the design of the antenna and the way smartphone user holds the phone (left hand – right hand) are among the most important elements when it comes to antenna performance.
Antenna performance for voice service was evaluated in Total Radiated Power (TRP), which was given in dBm values (dBm or decibel-milliwatt is an electrical power unit in decibels – dB, referenced to 1 milliwatt – mW). The higher the TPR value was, the better antenna reception for voice service smartphone had.
Antenna performance for data service was evaluated in Total Isotropic Sensitivity (TIS), which was also given in dBm values. The lower the TIS value was, the better antenna reception for data service smartphone had. Note that TIS is always a negative number, so -92.4 dBm is better than -90.1 dBm.
Results in the study for voice service were given for 4 GSM frequency bands (cellular frequencies designated by the ITU for the operation of GSM mobile phones.), but we only took in consideration ones for GSM 900. GSM 900 is the most commonly used and the most widespread frequency band. The same case was with the data service, where we took LTE800 results as the most relevant ones.
To compile our list of 7 smartphones with the best antenna reception: 2016 models, we only took 2016 models into consideration and gave points for all three performances. After summing up the total score for each smartphone, we compiled our list. Take a look!
