Abstract User influence, together with propagation environments and antenna designs, determines how well multiple-input–multiple-output (MIMO) terminals operate in true usage conditions. In this letter, we investigate to what extent the user influence affects the performance of a realistic MIMO terminal under various reproduced spatial channel models in a practical 3-D multi-probe anechoic chamber setup. A terminal mock-up, operating at 2.55 GHz, together with a realistic user phantom was used, and channel models with different spatial and polarization profiles, device under test with different operation modes and orientation angles were tested.