I got sick of relying on third-party hearsay on the iPhone 4 death grip, so I carried out my own semi-scientific test.
Testing the iPhone 4 with and without the ‘Death Grip’ yielded surprising results: A massive drop in bars was only accompanied by a small drop in data rates, which were far out-shadowed by data rate fluctuations that could only be attributed to the network and/or the testing servers.
The disparity between the seemingly drastic drop in bars and the minor data rate impact would seem in line with Apple’s statement regarding the inaccuracy of their signal strength display, which is expected to be amended in an upcoming software update.
Tests were repeated five times with and five times without the death grip, and results averaged. Hand position was not changed between test cycles.
Draw your own conclusions, but as far as I’m concerned, the issue is settled.
Just stop reading alarmist, headline-whoring reports on the total non-issue.