Chinese Phones, OnePlus and Xiaomi, Emit the Most Radiation

Have you ever wondered how much radiation your phone emits and how exposed you get in the process? Well, the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection (Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz) has a comprehensive database of smartphones – new and old – and the level of harmful energy they emit.

Nowadays, most people keep their smartphone within arm’s reach 24 hours a day. It’s in their pocket while they’re at work, it’s in their hand on the ride home, and it’s beside their beds or the table as they go to sleep. Questions have been raised about whether our close proximity to smartphones might be damaging our health.

There is no conclusive research on the effects of cell phone radiation that has been released so far. However, for those looking to be on the safe side of life, this article, with reference to research carried out by Statista provides information on the devices that emit the most and least radiation when held to the ear while calling.

Most Radiation Emitting Phones

According to the database released by the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection, the current smartphone creating the highest level of this harmful energy is the Mi A1 from Chinese vendor Xiaomi. Another Chinese phone is in second place – the OnePlus 5T. In fact, the two companies are represented heavily in the list of phones with the most emission, with 8 of the top 16 handsets being made by one of them.

Some surprising models that made it on the list were the iPhone 7 with an absorption rate of 1.38 watts per kilogram and iPhone 8 with an absorption rate of 1.32 watts – just next to the OnePlus 5 that is found to have 1.39 watts per kilogram of specific absorption rate.

Least Radiation Emitting Phones

Samsung phones, on the other hand, were found to lead the range of models with the least emission levels. Most particularly, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and ZTE Axon Elite have emerged as the lowest radiation-emitting phones with a specific absorption rate (SAR) of 0.17 watts per kilogram.

In fact, Samsung handsets feature prominently in the list of phones emitting the least radiation, with half of the top ten coming from the South Korean company. This contrasts bluntly with their major rival Apple. Two iPhones occupy a place in the list of phones which emit the most harmful energy, compared to none from Samsung.

What are the Universal Guidelines?

While there is no universal guideline for a ‘safe’ level of phone radiation, the German certification for environmental friendliness ‘Der Blaue Engel’ (Blue Angel) only certifies and recommends phones which have a specific absorption rate of less than 0.60 watts per kilogram.

You can take a look at the complete database of phones made by the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection to check the level of harmful energy your phone emits.