[UPDATE: Ben is consumed by Grip of Death.]

In the US, Consumer Reports has put a damper on iPhone 4 “grip of death” hysteria.

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A study by the publication found the iPhone 4’s reception problem - caused when a user’s hand covers the lower left of the handset, inadvertently blocking the signal - is no better, or worse, than that of any typical smartphone [UPDATE: Consumer has now reversed its original finding.]

iPhone 4 has yet to be released in New Zealand, but those who’ve already snagged a handset have not encountered the problem.

“There’s no ‘grip of death’ that I am able to replicate,” tech blogger and possible super mayor candidate Ben Gracewood emailed Keallhauled, after using his iPhone 4 (from Parallel Imported) around Auckland for a day.

“I grabbed it in unnatural ways: double handed, wrapping my hands completely around the phone and covering both of the sensitive ‘black bands’, and noticed no signal decrease. I even tried bridging the bands with metal and couldn't see any issue,” Ben said.

And Layton Duncan, a developer with Polar Bear Farm, said he’d had no problems since buying an iPhone 4 in the UK then bringing it home to Christchurch.

“I've tried holding it the worst possible way at home (which has dodgy signal at the best of times) and I can't get it to lose connection,” Layton said - unlike his old iPhone 3GS, which did drop calls.

Faster than iPhone 3GS
Incidentally, Ben has got decent download (1.9Mbit/s) and upload speeds (1.3Mbit/s) speeds from his iPhone 4. That's faster than I've achieved with my iPhone 3GS, and it's as you'd expect given the 4's superior 3G technical smarts.

SIM cut down to size
And although Vodafone NZ has  just begun selling iPhone 4 and iPad-friendly Micro-SIMs  (for $29.95), Ben used a template provided by Parallel Imported to perform the scissor hack and literally cut SIM down to size (more on that issue here).

But although very impressed overall - especially by the new retina display - the uber-geek was said he was not feeling "that new gadget frission".

Asked by Keallhauled if he would spend his own money on an iPhone 4 (his Parallel Imported handset is a loaner), Ben replied:

"Probably not. It's not enough of a change from the 3GS. The screen is incredible, but the software is identical. I'm going to wait and see what Android 2.2 and Windows Phone 7 are like before making a purchase."