These 16 Popular Phones Have The Highest Radiation Emissions
Xiaomi and OnePlus phones make up half the list.
By Alyssa J. Oon — 11 Feb 2019, 02:29 PM
Xiaomi and OnePlus are the worst offenders when it comes to smartphone radiation, according to Germany's Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS)
The level of radiation emission is measured by the "amount of energy absorbed by the body", which is known as "specific absorption rate" (SAR).
In order to avoid adverse health effects, BfS has set the SAR limit at 2 Watts per kilogram (W/kg).
Among the top 16 phones that emit the most radiation, Xiaomi and OnePlus took four spots each on the list
Statista collected information from BfS' database and turned it into an easy-to-read chart.
The chart only includes current smartphone models as of 10 December, 2018 from selected brands while the SAR value is based on holding the phone right next to the ear during a call.
The eight phone models in question are:
- Xiaomi Mi A1 (1.75 W/kg),
- OnePlus 5T (1.68 W/kg),
- Xiaomi Mi Max 3 (1.58 W/kg),
- OnePlus 6T (1.55 W/kg),
- Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 (1.45 W/kg),
- OnePlus 5 (1.39 W/kg),
- OnePlus 6 (1.33 W/kg), and
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 (1.29 W/kg).
Meanwhile, eight of the latest Samsung models were found to emit the least amount of radiation
The other brands named in the list of 16 smartphones with the least radiation emissions are LG, HTC, Motorola, and ZTE.
All 16 models were found to emit less than 1 W/kg when held near the ear during a phone call.
The eight Samsung models are:
- Samsung Galaxy Note8 (0.17 W/kg),
- Samsung Galaxy A8 (0.24 W/kg),
- Samsung Galaxy S8+ (0.26 W/kg),
- Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (0.26 W/kg),
- Samsung Galaxy S9+ (0.29 W/kg),
- Samsung Galaxy J6+ (0.31 W/kg),
- Samsung Galaxy J4+ (0.32 W/kg), and
- Samsung Galaxy S8 (0.32 W/kg).
However, it should be noted that multiple studies have found little or no link between mobile phone radiation and health risks
Cellphone radiation is commonly believed to cause cancer, but US' National Cancer Institute has noted that "few studies have shown some evidence of statistical association of cell phone use and brain tumo[u]r risks in humans, but most studies have found no association".
In 2011, the World Health Organisation (WHO) classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields in the 2B group ("possibly carcinogenic to humans"), which simply means that there "could be some risk".