The German Federal Office for Radiation Protection has published a report showing that Samsung was the top manufacturer for smartphones with low amounts of radiation.
The cellphone radiation report took note of each device’s specific absorption rate (SAR), which signifies the amount of radiofrequency waves that each smartphone emits. Higher numbers indicate increases in the chances of users getting exposed to harmful radiation.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and the ZTE Axon Elite were found to have the lowest SAR at 0.17, followed by the LG G7 and Samsung Galaxy A8 at 0.24, and the Samsung Galaxy S8+ and Samsung Galaxy S7 edge at 0.26.
However, there is still no universal guideline that sets a “safe” level for cellphone radiation. There have been various studies that claim cellphone radiation is harmful to humans, potentially causing cancer, but there appears to be the same number of studies that debunk that claim.
According to the initial findings of a $25 million study by the National Toxicology Program, radiation from smartphones does indeed cause cancer, but a pair of government studies said that the amount of radiation coming from smartphones will only be harmful to rats, and not to humans.
The German certification for environmental friendliness, named Blue Angel, certifies only smartphones with SAR of less than 0.60.
Other popular devices at the top of the current report’s list include the Google Pixel 3 XL and the Google Pixel 3, at the 7th and 12th spots respectively, and the iPhone 7 in 9th place.
On the other hand, Xiaomi and OnePlus were adjudged the worst offenders in terms of cellphone radiation: the two smartphone companies took four spots each in the top 16.
The Xiaomi Mi A1 recorded the highest SAR at 1.75, followed by the OnePlus 5T at 1.68, the Xiamo Mi Max 3 at 1.58, the OnePlus 6T at 1.55, and the HTC U12 Life at 1.48.
