Does otterbox interfere with reception?

[gxyS3_918]

Hi, I own a galaxy s3 and I have a commuter series otterbox on my phone. Love it by the way. But It seems that when I have it on I don't get as good of reception as when it's not on. Does anyone else have this issue? It's not too bad it's usually just a 1 bar difference. But at my job, I work indoors and usually only get 1 to 2 bars anyway. So that 1 bar makes a difference. Also my phone overheats a lot when I have the case on and I'm using it pretty heavy. Is that due to low signal and the cpu is being overworked? I know that can affect your battery life, can it also cause your phone to overheat? Or is it just the case? Does anyone else experience these issues? Any theories or input would be appreciated, thanks.

 

[mettech]

I have the same Otterbox cover and I too have the same issues.

 

[jarhead996]

I have the Commuter case with my T-Mobile GS3 but I have not had any issues with signal or heat. It shouldn't matter whether it has a case or not. The rubber and plastic of the case aren't dense enough to interfere with RF transmission.

 

[k1ngr4t]

I have the Seido Active case, which is basically the same size as the Otterbox and I don't have any of those problems.

People say the reception on the S3 isn't great. Now what I HAVE noticed is the S3 actually has 5 bars, whereas most phones only have the 4. So even though it's only at 2 or 3 bars, from my experience that's about the same as 2 bars on other phones. So I think people see that and think it's not as great, when to me it seems the exact same. My room doesn't have great reception either.

As for the overheating, I'd say it depends how much. With heavy use over a long time, particularly if plugged in, every phone will get hot, case or not. However if it get's REALLY hot, then it's a problem with the phone. Download a battery or system monitor that shows the temp. I think it's if it gets over anything like 122 fahrenheit then something's wrong. Somewhere around there, just google that and it'll tell you. Hope this helps.