Nokia weighs in on Apple iPhone 4 event

Nokia today partly sided with and partly disagreed with Apple's antenna explanations at its media event today. In a statement, it acknowledged that a tight grip could affect the signal strength of most cellphones today, including its own, but repeated its stance that the freedom to hold the phone naturally was important. Nokia claimed to test its phones for grip and to make sure that either hand wouldn't block the cellular signal regardless of the position.

"We prioritize antenna performance over physical design if they are ever in conflict," Nokia said.

The company's devices typically haven't had such problems, but the statement is somewhat disingenuous as it glosses over problems that have been found in some Nokia feature phones and smartphones, such as the 2320 and a widely recognized problem with the E71. The E72 and E73 aren't known to have significant issues. Apple's issue is primarily exacerbated by the decision to move the antenna to the shell itself and have a conspicuous gap that's likely to be covered, especially by left-handed iPhone 4 owners.

By Electronista Staff