What factors affect the strength of a phone's signal?
The performance of a phone's wireless capabilities partly depends on the overall RF (radio frequency) or antenna design, and partly on the baseband algorithms (communication chips). We focus on RF and antenna aspects. However, it is important to remember that more and more phones, especially 4G phones, have their wireless performance affected by both the baseband algorithms and the RF design, which directly impacts internet speeds. Focusing solely on RF design or signal strength is an outdated and one-sided perspective.
The strength of a phone's signal is determined both by the phone itself and the carrier's network. The carrier's network coverage primarily depends on the layout of base stations and the transmission power. Within each carrier, there are dedicated network optimization departments that work on optimizing network load and coverage blind spots to ensure the best using experience. Of course, the better the phone's performance, the lower the network requirements. Therefore, carriers need to test the wireless performance of phones when selecting them for procurement.
You can choose different carriers, but you cannot control the network conditions of the carriers. Therefore, a more actionable approach is to focus on the wireless performance of the phone itself and select one with better performance. This way, under the same network coverage, you can achieve better internet speeds and call quality compared to others.
For the phone's own RF and antenna design, we focus on the power it emits (which can be thought of as the "volume" of its signal) and its receiving sensitivity (like how quiet a sound your ear can detect). These two factors are related not only to the design quality but also to the overall electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) of the device. For example, even if your ear can detect very quiet sounds, if the surrounding environment (electromagnetic interference on the circuit board) is too noisy, you cannot hear what the other person is saying. This issue is particularly prominent in phones, where the compact size means that components, modules, and antennas are densely packed. Poor board-level design can lead to interference between modules or degrade the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the receiver system due to EMI (Electro-Magnetic Interference).
Additionally, metal parts on the phone and even the way you hold the phone can affect its wireless performance.
The strength of a phone's signal is determined both by the phone itself and the carrier's network. The carrier's network coverage primarily depends on the layout of base stations and the transmission power. Within each carrier, there are dedicated network optimization departments that work on optimizing network load and coverage blind spots to ensure the best using experience. Of course, the better the phone's performance, the lower the network requirements. Therefore, carriers need to test the wireless performance of phones when selecting them for procurement.
You can choose different carriers, but you cannot control the network conditions of the carriers. Therefore, a more actionable approach is to focus on the wireless performance of the phone itself and select one with better performance. This way, under the same network coverage, you can achieve better internet speeds and call quality compared to others.
For the phone's own RF and antenna design, we focus on the power it emits (which can be thought of as the "volume" of its signal) and its receiving sensitivity (like how quiet a sound your ear can detect). These two factors are related not only to the design quality but also to the overall electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) of the device. For example, even if your ear can detect very quiet sounds, if the surrounding environment (electromagnetic interference on the circuit board) is too noisy, you cannot hear what the other person is saying. This issue is particularly prominent in phones, where the compact size means that components, modules, and antennas are densely packed. Poor board-level design can lead to interference between modules or degrade the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the receiver system due to EMI (Electro-Magnetic Interference).
Additionally, metal parts on the phone and even the way you hold the phone can affect its wireless performance.
Does it help?
Yes
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