In the recent past, there has been a deluge of complaints regarding connectivity issues on the iPhone XR. Now customers have filed a class-action suit against Apple in the Northern District of California. The lawsuit accuses Apple of fraudulent concealment, breach of implied warranty of merchantability and breach of express warranty.
The complaints seek compensation from Apple for degraded connectivity, reliability, and performance of their iPhone XR. According to the court filings, Apple has failed to disclose that iPhone XR comes equipped with a 2×2 MIMO antenna which is half as capable as the one on iPhone XS. Customers allege that iPhone XR is “less capable of obtaining a reliable connection in the same areas where the XS and Max can reliable connect.”
Interestingly the lawsuit labels 2×2 MIMO antenna set up as a “defect” and highlights how customers across the UK and the U.S. are facing connectivity issues. Apparently the iPhone XR showed signs of network issues shortly after purchase. Furthermore, the users claim to have faced issues sending/receiving text and inoperable data connections.
The plaintiffs complained about connectivity issues on the iPhone XR to the company. Apple advised performing a factory reset and also suggested contacting their respective network operators. The customers claim that they would have not purchased the device had they known about 2×2 MIMO. The iPhone XR was launched in 2018 and was a budget offering with an LCD display. As far as features are concerned the iPhone XR offered Face ID, gesture navigation and an affordable price tag by Apple standards.
Our Take
The technical specifications page for iPhone XR mentions “2×2 MIMO” under the Cellular and Wireless section. However, the MIMO capability mention for iPhone XR seems to be missing on the iPhone model comparison page. Customers claim that Apple is not attending to their complaints in a satisfactory manner. All the company is doing is swapping defective iPhone XR for new ones. However, even swapped devices suffer from the same defect.
Do you think Apple should compensate iPhone XR users? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
