Scientists are still out on whether phones cause cancer or not, with so far finding no conclusive evidence that smartphones can damage the body at a cellular level. But smartphones do emit radiation with all their antennas and gadgetry inside them. Now a report says that when it comes to the radiation from smartphones, measured in Specific absorption rate (SAR), Xiaomi and OnePlus phones are usually on the higher side while the Samsung phones are at bottom of the list. The iPhones are somewhere in the middle.
Statista, an online statistics, and marketing research portal, has created a list of 16 smartphones that emit the higher amount of radiation. The list is created based on the SAR of each phone, which by regulation the phone companies must declare for their devices.
The list of high SAR phones
The Xiaomi Mi A1 with 1.75 W/kg SAR value is found to be emitting the highest amount of radiation followed by the OnePlus 5T which has 1.68 W/kg SAR value. The Xiaomi Mi Max 3 and the OnePlus 6T take the third and fourth spot with 1.58 W/kg and 1.55 W/kg, respectively. The list is dominated by Xiaomi and OnePlus phones with four phones from each brand. The OnePlus 6 is on the 13th spot with a SAR value of 1.33 W/kg.
The other devices in the list of smartphones that emit the highest radiation are HTV U12 Lite, Mi Mix 3, Pixel 3 XL, OnePlus 5, iPhone 7, Xperia XZ1 Compact, HTC Desire 12/12+, Pixel 3, iPhone 8, Redmi Note 5 and ZTE Axon 7 mini.
Statista has not clearly explained whether these SAR values are for the head (radiation while the phone is in use when you are holding it near your ear) or for the body, which is radiation while the phone is in your pocket. But a look at specs of the phones included in the list hints that the values are for SAR head.
How to find SAR rate of your phone
SAR value of a phone has to be mandatorily declared by the company that has made the phone. So you can easily find the SAR rate for your smartphone by looking at the info label pasted on a phone’s box.
The SAR value is also declared by most smartphone companies in a sticker that they attach to the phone’s body. You can see this sticker when you take out the phone for the first time out of the box.
In case you have discarded the box in which your phone came or removed and threw that sticker that was posted on the phone, you can check out the phone’s specification page or manual on the website of the manufacturer. There too a phone company lists the phone’s SAR value.
You can also dial *#07# to check it. Dialing this code will bring up the regulatory information related to the phone’s SAR value on its screen. It is important to note that due to different features in a phone in different countries, and due to a different kind of cellular networks used in different countries, the SAR value of the same phone can wildly differ from country to country.
