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iPhone XS and XS Max Users Are Reporting Poor Cell and Wi-Fi Reception (theverge.com)
Some users who upgraded to an iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max over the weekend have reported poor cell and Wi-Fi reception and noticeably slower speeds when comparing their new phones to their older models. The Verge: According to users on Apple's support forum, MacRumors forums, and Reddit, the issue appears to be widespread across the country and not limited to any specific carrier. It's a frustrating issue, especially considering that the iPhone XS is supposed to have significantly faster data speeds on Wi-Fi and LTE compared to the iPhone X, according to data tests conducted by SpeedSmart. There's even a new antenna line running along the bottom of the phone as discovered by a recent iFixit teardown, which should have helped with reception. Additionally, folks at r/Apple, the most popular subreddit for iPhone and other Apple related discussions on the site, have corroborated the claims.
These people had an iPhone with a superior Qualcomm modem before. Now they have a cheaper one from Intel. Enjoy
It's almost certainly this. If you've never used a phone with an Intel modem you'd be amazed at how bad they are. Anything below two bars might as well be "no signal" because the Intel modem flat-out can't decipher anything that weak. Speed starts dropping precipitously as you move away from the tower. Where a Qualcomm modem might be operating at 90% speed, an Intel modem will have already dropped to 50%. It's really quite impressive how bad they are.
And because Apple is mad at Qualcomm because Qualcomm doesn't like it when Apple steals their technology, iPhone users are stuck with broken Intel modems.
https://www.wiwavelength.com/2018/09/iphone-xs-and-xs-max-mostly-fail-to.html
https://www.wiwavelength.com/2018/09/antennagate-reduxs-if-so-what-can-apple.html
These people had an iPhone with a superior Qualcomm modem before. Now they have a cheaper one from Intel. Enjoy,
It's almost certainly this.
https://www.wiwavelength.com/2...
Apple's decision to forgo Qualcomm this year and source all cellular modems from Intel is not responsible for the RF power output limitations in the new iPhone models. The cellular baseband modem is separate from and well upstream of the amplifiers that generate the conducted power and antennas that generate the radiated power being measured in lab testing.
...where is all that power going? Where is it being diminished? The answer lies in antenna gain.
Indeed, deeper analysis of the FCC OET authorization filings shows the underwhelming EIRP figures to be almost entirely products of negative antenna gain.