Verizon iPhone 4 also has death grip issues

The same consumer report that wouldn’t recommend the original iPhone 4 over signal problems, has found the same issue with Verizon’s iPhone 4.

"The Verizon iPhone 4 has a problem that could cause the phone to drop calls, or be unable to place calls, in weak signal conditions, Consumer Reports engineers have found in lab tests,” said the report.

Signal problems were said to arise when the hand is placed on the phone’s steel bands in the lower left corner.

At the time Apple boss Steve Jobs said he was aware of the problem, personally replying to a customer email with, "Just avoid holding it in that way”.

"The problem is similar to the one we confirmed in July with the AT&T version of Apple's newest smart phone,” said Consumer Reports. "The phone performs superbly in most other respects, and using the iPhone 4 with a case can alleviate the problem.”

But as Consumer Reports point out, Apple stopped giving away free bumper cases a long time ago.

"We are not including the Verizon iPhone 4 in our list of recommended smart phones, despite its high ranking in our Ratings,” concluded the report. "Although Apple no longer offers a free case to buyers of the iPhone 4, as it did for a time after the problem was first discovered on the AT&T version, the company has said in the past that it will consider requests for a free case from customers who buy the phone and subsequently experience reception problems.”

The last time Consumer Reports failed to recommend iPhone 4, Apple’s shares took a hit.