Nokia and RIM can deny problems with their phones all that they want, but Apple’s press conference claims on Friday actually have merit. The so called “death grip” of an antenna on a smartphone can lead to significant signal loss on almost every phone. Watch these videos for proof.

The Incredible drops upwards of 18db (about the same as the iPhone 4) when death-gripped. Do you think that is bad? The Nexus One loses 23db!

The antique HTC G1 is also susceptible to the death grip:

The test below indicates that newer phones like the mighty Evo 4G and Droid X are immune to the death grip, but the AT&T Captivate is problematic. What this video proves is that the death grip is carrier and area dependent. Case in point, the Nexus One here drops virtually no reception, but above, it was losing a staggering 23db! One problem with Techno Buffalo’s test is that he does not death grip the other phones long enough, while holding onto the iPhone 4 the longest. Also, the procedure should have measured db ratings instead of unreliable and non-standardized “bars.”