s21 poor signal strength

[mozzy]

I've just upgraded to the s21 from the s10. Problem is that I now only get 1 bar showing on the signal strength most of the time (including home). On the s10 it was on 3 bars most of the time using the same network and SIM. If I swap the SIM card back to the s10 I get 3 bars showing again 

I have tried resetting the network, a hard reboot, changing to SIM tray 2 but all to no avail. Anyone else experienced this/any ideas or is this device faulty??

[KholaI]

Hey all,

I'm truly sorry to hear about the issues you're experiencing. I've had a read through the thread and I've seen quite a few dollar signs. As we're (the community moderators) are based in the UK, we only deal with the Samsung Technical queries within the UK. So, could you please provide more information on the issue? Have you tried any steps to combat the issue (different SIM, or removing the SIM and wiping the gold contacts, etc). How often does it occur? Is it with all contacts? Did you experience the issue from the first use? The more information you provide, the more helpful it'll be in understanding the issue at hand.

[hospicern]

I (and many others it appears) have spent hours - resetting, replacing SIM cards, traveling to the Xfinity store, making sure it's not an issue with the internet.  etc.  Hours on the phone to 'customer service' only to repeat the same story, so thru the same motions being told it is being escalated (4 times) and they finally sent a replacement phone which I suspect is reburbished (my phone was new) and I still only get 2 bars.  I think Samsung needs to wake up and provide us with an alternative that works.  

[Tippee]

I am UK based, I have two Sims and I've tried them both individually and I use them with Duel SIM and yes ive cleaned them up, they both always get the same amount of signal as each other. 

Leta face it, the hardware isn't good enough or you need a software update to fix the issue, asking us to do things to make it better is a bit of an insult, it's clearly on your end, we can't all have a dirty SIM card but you will just ask us to jump through hoops giving the illusion of a fix when in reality you're doing nothing to fix it. 

What's the latest from yourselves on this matter? What have you done so far to identify or diagnose the issue? what have you done so far to fix this issue?

[kleake]

It's constant, and with every call.   I am in an area with a weak signal, but all of my previous phones at least worked, and my S9 worked great.  This S21 drops calls, can't get signal, shows device not registered constantly.   I have almost thrown it across my yard multiple times because I get so angry at it when trying to talk to a customer and it just keeps dropping.   Cleaned sims, tried different ones, etc. etc.    It's plain and simple that the antenna just is not very good on these.   If you live where the signal is really good, it's not an issue, but anywhere you had a weak signal with a previous phone, you will likely have none with this phone.

[hospicern]

I wonder if we can at least insist that Samsung pay for a signal extender in our homes?  I refuse to pay an additional $4-500 when I already pay for the phone and service.  thoughts?  WHen I had Verizon, they supplied an extended.  Xfinity does not

[kleake]

I'm sure they won't, but i agree that they should.   I couldn't even work from home without one, so i had buy one.   It doesn't solve the issue, but it sure helps when I'm in my house.  If I go out to my shop, which is about 80ft from the house, I'm back to no signal.   I don't want to get a second one because then I've spent more on extenders than I did for the crappy phone in the first place.

[Ryannnn]

My S21 Ultra has been consistently failing to perform for quite some time now. It goes from a couple of bars or full signal to completely losing all signal all together, often right as I'm doing a web search for something or trying to make a call. The single completely cuts out in highly populated areas where I know there should be full signal. I have hung out with other people with Verizon service on different cell phones, and they tend to have service in all these places where mine has cut out. What did I pay for getting the newest and most expensive phone on the market? I thought that what I was paying for was knowing that I would be getting the best performance out of all the phone options. Apparently not. 

After reading your post here and many of the comments, I realized that my experience is not a fluke. Honestly, I was hoping that it was. I really like some of the features on this S21 Ultra oh, and I don't want to have to downgrade to a different model. But after reading these comments here it seems like I'll probably have the same problems with the replacement S21 Ultra. That's very disheartening, because I am especially in love with the 108 megapixel camera. In fact, that's my biggest concern for a feature loss if I have to change to a different model. How can this supposedly top of the line new model have such ***** problems for so many people? Especially without some official statement from Samsung about it. This is pretty ridiculous. Does anyone know if there have been any big issues with the note 20 Ultra? Seems like only a slight downgrade, with many of the same features including the high-resolution front camera- albeit with a downgrade in the resolution of the selfie camera. I can't believe I'm having to consider downgrading the phone because Samsung failed to produce something that performs as it should. This is BS. 

[KholaI]

Thanks all. I've now passed this onto our Research and Development Team and I'll let you know as soon as I hear back from them. In the meantime, it would be useful if you could share log files after the issue occurs via the Samsung Members app > Get help > Error report.

[kleake]

Thank you Kholal, I have previously shared these reports, but no responses.  And for me, it is not just occasionally happening,,, it is every time I use the phone anywhere around my home.  If I am in my shop and I am lucky enough for my phone to ring, I have to go outside to answer or it will almost immediately drop the call.  It is a constant weak signal causing missed and dropped calls almost every time.  

[KholaI]

Always here to help, @kleake !

Does this mainly occur in your home and home, or is it everywhere? If it's within the same vicinity, are there others also experiencing the same issue? Also, have you tried any troubleshooting steps, such as wiping the SIM card, using another SIM, resetting settings?