Consumer Reports gives thumbs up to iPhone 4S

The group that had to retract its ‘recommendation’ for the iPhone 4 due to the whole antennagate debacle is now praising the iPhone 4S, though it has some gripes too.

“Apple’s newest smart phone performed very well in our tests, and while it closely resembles the iPhone 4 in appearance, it doesn’t suffer the reception problem we found in its predecessor in special tests in our labs,” the group wrote in a message on its website.

The report continued to make specific references to the iPhone 4’s design flaw that made calls drop or dramatically reduce signal strength when users touched a certain spot on the side of the phone.

In its report of the iPhone 4S, Consumer Reports reiterated that the iPhone 4 remains off of its recommended list.

Of course, the iPhone 4S is not without its own drama. The device has come under fire for significant problems with its battery life. Consumer Reports, though, says it is not a big detriment to the 4S experience.

So overall, the iPhone 4S gets a positive rating from Consumer Reports, but the organization is also quick to point out that several Android handsets performed better in its tests.

The Droid Bionic, Galaxy S II, LG Thrill, and “several other phones that boast larger displays than the iPhone 4S and run on faster 4G networks” all received higher levels of recommendation from Consumer Reports.