A little more than seven months ago, someone coined the phrase "Antennagate." the iPhone 4 was having problems with dropped calls and signal attenuation when the edge of the phone was held a certain way.

Unlike other phones, the iPhone 4's antenna is on the outside of the casing, meaning it is touched when one holds the phone without a case. That didn't hurt the iPhone 4's sales, and since the Verizon iPhone was rolled out some have posited that the problem was AT&T's network rather than the phone itself.

Not so, says Consumer Reports. The consumer products testing company subjected the Verizon iPhone 4 to an intensive battery of tests and said the same antenna issue that dogged the AT&T version  is back. When users hold the phone in a certain way it covers the exterior antenna. In low signal areas, this can cause the phone to drop a call.

"For that reason, we are not including the Verizon iPhone 4 in our list of recommended smartphones, despite its high ranking in our ratings," Consumer Reports said in a blog post.

When the AT&T iPhone 4 had antenna issues, Jobs held a press conference and offered all consumers a free bumper, which solved the problem. He also said most phones have similar reception problems to the iPhone 4. Consumer Reports says in its study a bumper solved the problem for the Verizon iPhone as well.

This time around Apple is not offering free bumpers. Although, Consumer Reports said the Cupertino, Calif.-based tech giant is considering requests for a free case from customers who buy the phone and experience reception issues.

There haven't been as many complaints about the Verizon iPhone 4 this time around, Consumer Reports noted. One reason is because Verizon's network, unlike AT&T's, has performed more reliably.

Apple did not respond to a request for comment.

To contact the reporter responsible for this story call (646) 461 6920 or email g.perna @ ibtimes.com

About International Business Times

The International Business Times is composed of twelve high-growth online editions (ibtimes.com) that give readers local reports balanced with multinational perspectives. Exclusive and transparent insights from global markets make The International Business Times an indispensable news source for business-minded individuals.