That's weird and, well, not my experience.
I've never owned a smartphone and usually use basic candybar or flip phones, such as this cheap $20 Nokia sitting next to me. I can't say that reason sounds likely. (And I have a whole drawer full of old, cheap phones that I give to foreigners visiting the US)
Dropped calls are rather rare for me and usually happen when I'm sitting still in my office, not moving about.