*sigh* HTC Incredible...bad reception

[PaulRivers]

*sigh*

I pre-ordered the Incredible. Was pretty excited to get it in the mail. Loved being able to browse the internet on it, it's fast, snappy, etc. Downloaded apps...you name it.

But I started to notice that I was having trouble hearing people at home. With my last phone - a Samsung Gleam, which was a decent phone but never known for being "exceptional" for reception or call quality, in this one location in the house I would occasionally get small dropouts here and there. It was annoying, a problem I hoped that the supposedly great reception of the Incredible would solve.

Well - turns out it's the opposite, the Incredible is slightly worse. And no - I don't think that because of looking at the "bars" on the phone. I don't even know how many bars either phone has. I did a test.

I sat at my computer with the Incredible and called my voicemail and tried to concentrate on seeing if I could actually hear every word. I couldn't - for example, in this one part of the message they say a phone number, but I hear something like 888-54.....29. Then I used the online ESN changer to switch to my Gleam. Called my voicemail again - no dropouts. None at all. Used the esn changer to change back to my Incredible, called my voicemail again - more dropouts. I listened to the same message several times with each phone - the Incredible would usually drop out some bit of the message (the call would never technically drop though), while with the Gleam no part of the conversation would glitch out at all. Actually - I should say that there was this bit that I thought was maybe doing that, but when I repeated it 3 times and it sounded exactly the same each time I realized it was just an error in the actual message.

So...now I'm just ticked. I really rather liked the phone otherwise, but I can't keep a phone that doesn't work as a phone. That's why I never got an iPhone - because I wanted my phone to actually work well as a phone first, and as a smartphone second. *sigh*

I guess it's going back. I suppose I could consider exchanging it - except since no one has it in stock, that would probably be a nightmare and I'd just get a refurbished phone anyways. I could get one of those home booster thingies (the official ones that go over the internet), but I'd be worried that I'd have issues out and again.

*sigh*. Why is it so difficult for them to just make a decent phone?

While I'm complaining, I might as well mention that I was *not* impressed by the sound quality of the phone either. I'm not saying it was "terrible", but people sounded kind of...compressed. Robotic. I only mention it because I've read to many "OMG the sound quality is AMAZING" posts - I don't get it. Perhaps it's related to my using the phone in a low reception area of something.

P.S. I should add that I'm not actually dropping calls - I stay connected, I just don't actually hear all the words the other person is saying (as mentioned, even on voicemail where the problem couldn't possibly be their phone) pretty consistently.

 

[mejdam]

even though the signal might look weaker than the Motorola droid it seems to amaze me how i havent dropped a called even though i can see no bars lol. It might just not read the signal correctly.

 

[PaulRivers]

even though the signal might look weaker than the Motorola droid it seems to amaze me how i havent dropped a called even though i can see no bars lol. It might just not read the signal correctly.

*sigh*

I knew someone would give me a knee-jerk reaction without actually reading my post.

I didn't even mention the Motorola. In my post I never mentioned bars or signal strength - it is completely and entirely based on my ability to hear every word on each phone on one phone versus the other. I don't even know how many bars either of the phones has at my house - I haven't looked, I don't care, all I care about is that my phone makes and receives calls and that I can clearly hear the person on the other end.

My phone does not "drop" calls either. It just drops out parts words or parts of words that the other person says. I'm not trying to be snipey, but ask yourself if you've felt like you're missing parts of the conversation moreso than usual. Maybe you're lucky, you have good reception where you go, and you aren't. But that's been my problem.

 

[mejdam]

even though the signal might look weaker than the Motorola droid it seems to amaze me how i havent dropped a called even though i can see no bars lol. It might just not read the signal correctly.

*sigh*

I knew someone would give me a knee-jerk reaction without actually reading my post.

I didn't even mention the Motorola. In my post I never mentioned bars or signal strength - it is completely and entirely based on my ability to hear every word on each phone on one phone versus the other. I don't even know how many bars either of the phones has at my house - I haven't looked, I don't care, all I care about is that my phone makes and receives calls and that I can clearly hear the person on the other end.

My phone does not "drop" calls either. It just drops out parts words or parts of words that the other person says. I'm not trying to be snipey, but ask yourself if you've felt like you're missing parts of the conversation moreso than usual. Maybe you're lucky, you have good reception where you go, and you aren't. But that's been my problem.

First of all i dont own the Samsung Gleam so my comparison was with my previous phone which was the Motorola Droid. Like i previously said even though the signal looks weak i have yet to get a dropped called, What i should have added was that i dont get any compress robotic noise like you seem to be experiencing. I've yet to see any Smartphone get as good as reception as traditional flip phones. So if thats what you're after and arent having the greatest of luck with the incredible then i suggest you stick with flip phones for a while.

I hope i dont come off as rude with my response but seriously what was the reply that you were hoping for?? You did say you dont want to deal with a replacement due to out of stock and there isnt a check box that will solve your issue. My best advice will be to go back to your phone until the phone gets patched to your satisfaction.

 

[Mule65]

My M---rola D--id d-d the -xact same t-ing. I couldn't f-nd a f-x -nd end-d up ret-rn-ng it.

 

[jamjr74]

I have the INC. and my reception and quality is good. Maybe you have a bad phone. Try returning it for a new one and maybe that will help.

 

[windstrings]

A little off subject, but my Inc shows my in house wifi signal strength only as "fair" however I do get excellent response and connectivity.
I have a full 1 watt "1000mw" access point in my house by "bountiful wifi" and my house is totally saturated with signal, yet the Inc only says fair.

Just another reminder to not pay much attention to what signal meters say but rather go purely from performance.

I know you said you didn't pay attention to the signal meter, but just a reminder for folks who give meters much credence... they are calibrated and often "out of calibration".... really no relation to how well your internals actually work or don't work.

You could have a hot phone with a signal meter thats not sensitive or vice versa.

I have found my Inc to be just a tad less in signal peformance for regular phone calls than my moto... however voice quality and clarity are no comparison as the Inc beats it hands down.

And again, the signal thing is by a very narrow margin.....whether going down a hallway in a building or in a weak spot on the road, they are very close and nothing really to gripe about as they are indeed different manufacturers. Moto has a good radio, but the HTC is very innovative and smooth... and easy tradeoff since I still get all the same phone calls, text, emails etc that I did before.

 

[lutadora333]

nothing new to add, but just another person on the disappointed list. you're not alone. i just switched from att. had a blackberry, wanted more capabilities, and wanted better reception/more 3G coverage to be able to take advantage of the "more" on the phone, so went with verizon. sad to say i love the phone, lots of little things that make it great, plus it's really fast, but seriously, the signal is unbelievable. reading the bars or not (i don't get more than 2, anywhere, yet my friends and colleagues swear they have great coverage), but i can't even hear phone calls. no matter where i am, call quality sucks. i called verizon today and they made a minor change but it did nothing to the performance. rep suggested i take it back and exchange for another incredible (she said perhaps this one had a bad antenna), and if that didn't work, she'd understand if i decided to go back to my other carrier. great. frustrating because i like the phone and because i get a corporate discount with vzn, but really, can't have a phone that doesn't function as a phone. (btw, i asked the rep if this is an issue with this device in particular and she said "no, definitely not."). ugh.

 

[itzkr0me]

Never an issue with mine. In fact, I'd say that I can hear others (vice versa) better than on my droid previously. I get 2 bars inside a stone building, and the typical 4 bars outside. My battery also seems to hold up at least as good as my OC'd droid, if not better. I'm 110% pleased with this phone.

My gripe? The windshield mount and holster. Why have the screen face out on the holster? and the mount is too loose. Sorry for hijacking... i'm done

 

[edash]

same problem bad reception - barely audible at times

I am having the same problem. My LG flip was totally clear. my girlfriend is on Verizon also, so we chat on our cell phones and with the incredible, it is totally distorted and I am constaly saying "what?" I am getting annoyed.

If you get a replacement phone, do you have to start from scratch or can all your apps and data be transferred from the old phone. It has to be the phone since my old phone was fine and i can see tons of cell towers from my windows (No obstructions)

 

[biggator]

I switched from a BB Pearl, and the INC has noticeably better call quality than the Pearl did... no issues at all so far.

 

[kmo]

Sucks about the reception for you, unfortunately all things aren't created equal even if they are the same phone, hardware, software, tower location, signal strength etc. all factors. Some say they are having issues and some aren't, luck of the draw or maybe a lemon phone? Return it get a new one, if it's the same maybe time for a different phone for you. We're all so enamored with these devices we sometimes overlook the fact that first and foremost it's a PHONE and should make a good quality call.

 

[Capt.D]

Have you tried *228 to see if programming helps. Try it before you return it.

 

[vedwed]

Poor reception/sound quality is nothing new to HTC products, why would it be any different on the Incredibull (yes that is intentional) I have never had a problem with my Droid's reception, losing calls, or not being able to clearly hear what is being said. I had the Incredible for 1 whole day before I traded for the Droid, and I am so glad I did. I have used HTC products for years and finally grew tired of the nonsense they overprice. A forward looking camera, and a crappy processor are not enough to make me stay with them.
I realize you did not make a Droid/Incredible comparison but as I have not had a Gleam I can only relate to you the phones I used. Hell my Hero was better than the Incredible in terms of reception, yet it lacked in other areas, and having used the Hero from the day it came out, Sense is nothing spectacular, just new to most Motorola users that had crappy MotoBlur, although I will say after 12 years of Sprint's crap I am glad I made the switch to Verizon, although I did want to atleast try out the EVO 4G, but oh well.

 

[PaulRivers]

Have you tried *228 to see if programming helps. Try it before you return it.

You know...people always say this, especially verizon customer service, but I'm serious - has this *ever* improved someone's reception on a phone they received in the last month?