The issue of cell phones emitting radiation has always been a heated topic of debate. And according to the latest research conducted into leading smartphones by the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection (Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz), there’s still some reason to be concerned. Out of the 16 featured smartphones in the list, eight are of popularly selling brands – Xiaomi and OnePlus.
As per the list, Xiaomi Mi A1 emits the highest level of radiation with a specific absorption rate (SAR) of 1.74 watts per kilogram, followed by OnePlus 5T with 1.68 watts per kilogram.
The Xiaomi Mi Max 3 sits at the third position with the SAR of 1.58 watts per kilogram. The OnePlus 6T, The latest flagship model of OnePlus, is also among the top five phones emitting the highest level of radiation with a SAR of 1.55 watts per kilogram.
The list also includes premium phones like the Google Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3, and the Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 8. Among the Apple phones, the biggest culprit is iPhone 7 with an absorption rate of 1.38 watts per kilogram.
Quite surprisingly, Samsung phones were found to be emitting the least radiation among all phones. To be more precise, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and ZTE Axon Elite have emerged as the lowest radiation-emitting phones, with an SAR of 0.17 watts per kilogram.
Even though there isn’t any universal guideline for a safe level of phone radiation, the German certification for environmental friendliness called ‘Der Blaue Engel’ (Blue Angel) certifies models that have a specific absorption rate of lesser than 0.60 watts per kilogram. FYI, India has a maximum limit of 1.6 W/kg while in Germany, the limit is 2.0 W/kg.
