# Which phones have the lowest SAR?

> Lowest declared ear values among current models here are 0.38–0.53 W/kg against a 2 W/kg EU limit, but declared SAR is a maximum-power compliance figure and ranks test behaviour, not everyday absorption.

- Canonical URL: https://emfbase.com/questions/which-phones-have-the-lowest-sar
- Collection: Direct answers
- Record id: `questions:which-phones-have-the-lowest-sar`
- Status: verified
- Last verified: 2026-08-12
- JSON: https://emfbase.com/api/questions/which-phones-have-the-lowest-sar
- Also known as: lowest SAR phone, lowest radiation phone, low SAR phone list

## Key values

- **Topic:** devices

## Question

Which phone models have the lowest declared SAR, and does buying one lower my exposure?

## Answer

Among current models in this dataset the lowest declared values at the ear are the Samsung Galaxy A16 5G at 0.38 W/kg, the Fairphone Gen. 6 at 0.48 W/kg and the Samsung Galaxy A36 5G at 0.53 W/kg, against an EU limit of 2 W/kg averaged over 10 g of tissue; recent iPhones sit near the top of the range at 1.49 W/kg. All of them are declarations from a worst-case compliance test at maximum transmit power, so they rank how the models behave in that test and not how much energy your body absorbs day to day — a phone with strong reception transmits orders of magnitude below maximum power. Choosing a lower-SAR model changes real exposure far less than using speakerphone or wired earphones and calling where the signal is good.

## Related records

- [Samsung Galaxy A16 5G](https://emfbase.com/devices/samsung-galaxy-a16-5g): Declared maximum SAR of 0.38 W/kg at the ear and 0.94 W/kg worn on the body at 5 mm, against the EU limit of 2 W/kg averaged over 10 g of tissue — 19% of the limit at the ear. Below the Blue Angel eco-label's 0.5 W/kg ear criterion, though BfS records that the label's remaining radiation requirements are not met.
- [Fairphone Gen. 6](https://emfbase.com/devices/fairphone-gen-6): Declared maximum SAR of 0.48 W/kg at the ear and 1.39 W/kg worn on the body at 5 mm, against the EU limit of 2 W/kg averaged over 10 g of tissue — 24% of the limit at the ear. Below the Blue Angel eco-label's 0.5 W/kg ear criterion, though BfS records that the label's remaining radiation requirements are not met.
- [ICNIRP 2020 local SAR basic restriction (head and torso)](https://emfbase.com/limits/icnirp-local-sar-limit): 2 W/kg averaged over 10 grams of tissue for the general public — a different averaging mass than the FCC's 1 g, which is why SAR numbers are not directly comparable between regions.
- [Does a low-SAR phone matter?](https://emfbase.com/questions/what-is-sar-and-does-a-low-sar-phone-matter): SAR is a worst-case compliance figure; usage habits change real exposure far more than choosing between compliant models. U.S. 1 g and ICNIRP 10 g values are not comparable.

## Sources

- `bfs-sar-database` Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz (German Federal Office for Radiation Protection). *SAR search — declared SAR values of mobile phones*. https://www.bfs.de/EN/service/sar-suche/sar_suche_node.html — government, link checked 2026-08-12
- `bfs-sar-mobile` Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz (German Federal Office for Radiation Protection). *Specific absorption rate (SAR) of mobile phones — measurement procedure and interpretation*. https://www.bfs.de/EN/topics/emf/mobile-communication/protection/sar-mobil/sar-mobile-phone.html — government, link checked 2026-08-12
- `icnirp-2020` International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (2020). *Guidelines for Limiting Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields (100 kHz to 300 GHz)*. https://www.icnirp.org/en/publications/article/rf-guidelines-2020.html — guideline, link checked 2026-08-12

Data licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Dataset version 2026.08.1. Retrieved from EMFBase, https://emfbase.com.

This record is reference data, not medical or legal advice. Regulatory limits, scientific guidelines and precautionary values are labelled separately and answer different questions.