AT&T iPhone 4 drops more than twice as many calls as Verizon version

While the overal satisfaction rates with the AT&T and Verizon versions of the iPhone 4 are "virtually indistinguishable," consumers on the Verizon iPhone report fewer dropped calls, according to a report released this morning.

Of the 4,068 people surveyed by ChangeWave Research last month, about 82 percent of Verizon subscribers are "very satisifed" with their iPhone 4 and 80 percent of AT&T iPhone 4 users feel the same.

Customers on Verizon, however, reported a 1.8 percent dropped-call rate on the iPhone 4, while AT&T landed at 4.8 percent.

"Similar to the historical patterns in our overall industry findings – Verizon iPhone 4 owners currently report a lower dropped call rate than their AT&T iPhone 4 counterparts," ChangeWave said.

The company noted, however, that Verizon is in the early days of offering the iPhone 4; it debuted in early February. "It remains to be seen how well the Verizon network performs as the number of Verizon iPhone 4 owners ramps up and inevitably puts more pressure on their system," ChangeWave said.

Of those who plan to purchase an iPhone 4 in the future, 46 percent will opt for Verizon while 27 percent will select AT&T, "a sign of the magnitude of the ramp-up Verizon is facing," ChangeWave said.

ChangeWave has been tracking dropped-call rates on the four U.S. wireless for several years. Its latest data finds that Verizon is at number one with a 1.4 percent dropped-call rate, followed by T-Mobile at 2.3 percent, Sprint at 2.7 percent, and AT&T at 4.6 percent.

AT&T has trailed Verizon on this point since 2008, when ChangeWave first started tracking the phenomenon. In December 2010, AT&T improved considerably, dropping from 6 percent in September to 4.7 percent in December. Verizon, meanwhile, is at its lowest rate ever; it's all-time high dropped-call rate was 2.7 percent in September 2008.

"In sum, while the survey finds overall customer satisfaction ratings are virtually indistinguishable between Verizon iPhone 4 owners and AT&T iPhone 4 owners, there are apparent differences in the relative percentage of reported dropped calls – where in the current survey Verizon is outperforming its industry rival," ChangeWave concluded.

This article, written by Chloe Albanesius, originally appeared on PCMag.com and is republished on Gear Live with the permission of Ziff Davis, Inc.