Rural phone users at the outer limits of reception, take heed. If you have an iPhone, Gert Frølund Pedersen of Aalborg University, Denmark says that you had better hold your device in your right hand when making calls. Here’s his chart, comparing phones.

This phenomenon of bodily interference with phone signal isn’t news, but the extent to which  many iPhones are affected is significant. The ‘body loss’ is much reduced with left hand use.  I recently traded in the iPhone 6 because it was nearly useless for an obligate left ear user. Now I have the SE, which is performing quite a bit better even where my carrier gets low (signal) bars.

Consider putting your phone on a table and using headphones or speaker and mic to carry on a conversation.   You might decide to  get almost anything except for an iphone if you’re located barely within reach of the cell towers, but you could be sacrificing a good deal of privacy.