(Image courtesy of AppleInsider)

It appears that Consumer Reports has a case of split personality: After first claiming there’s “no reason not to buy” Apple’s new iPhone 4 and then switching gears saying they “can’t recommend” the handset based on antenna issues, the publication has now given the device its highest marks as the best smartphone currently available.

AppleInsider is reporting that Consumer Reports has now blessed the new iPhone 4 with its “highest rated” score as the best smartphone currently available in its official paid research reports. Among the “excellent” rankings for the handset are the display, navigation, web browsing, multimedia and battery life, while the phoning and messaging ranked “very good” and voice quality as “good,” according to The Wall Street Journal Digital Daily blog.

The iPhone 4 scored 76 points out of a possible 100, which equates to Consumer Reports’ “highest rated.” The next-highest phones in the ranking are actually Apple’s previous generation iPhone 3GS and HTC’s new EVO 4G, both ranked at 74 points overall.

All of this praise comes on the heels of a bit of back and forth from Consumer Reports, who first reported on their official blog that there was “no reason not to buy” the iPhone 4 when the antenna issues were first reported. That was followed by the publication backtracking on that recommendation, saying they “can’t recommend” the device until Apple addresses the antenna issues with a free fix -- “after also noting that applying a piece of tape solves the signal attenuation issues it found in testing,” notes AppleInsider.

"Well this is ironic," John Paczkowski writes in his Digital Daily blog. "iPhone 4 is hands-down the best smartphone available today, but Consumer Reports advises against buying it."

Who knows what they’ll have to say about the iPhone 4 tomorrow…

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