Ranked: 15 Popular Smartphones by Radiation Levels

If you've ever wondered whether your phone — or your kid's phone — emits more radiation than the one in your neighbor's pocket, there's now a clearer answer. A new ranking from Visual Capitalist, built on data from Germany's Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS), compares 15 popular smartphones by their Specific Absorption Rate (SAR), the standardized measure of how much radiofrequency energy a device's user absorbs during lab testing.

The results may surprise some parents shopping for a family phone plan. Apple's iPhone 17 topped the list with the highest head SAR at 1.49 W/kg, just ahead of the iPhone 16e at 1.48 W/kg. Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold7 came in third at 1.40 W/kg. On the lower end, Samsung's budget-friendly Galaxy A16 5G recorded the lowest reading of the group at 0.38 W/kg — notably, about 3.7 times lower than Samsung's own Galaxy Z Fold7, showing just how much SAR can vary even within one brand's lineup.

Head vs. Body: Why Placement Matters

One of the more useful takeaways for health-conscious households is that SAR isn't a single fixed number — it depends on how the phone is held. Measured near the body (like in a pocket or armband at 0.5 cm), several phones that ranked low for head exposure jumped much higher. Motorola's Razr 60, for example, ranked 11th for head SAR but tied for the fourth-highest body SAR reading. Google's Pixel 9 showed a similar pattern. That's a helpful reminder that how and where you carry your phone can matter as much as which model you own.

It's also worth repeating what the source data makes clear: SAR reflects laboratory testing conditions, not real-world, everyday exposure, and it isn't a direct measure of health risk. Smartphone radiofrequency waves are non-ionizing — a different category from X-rays — and health authorities have not established that exposure within approved safety limits causes adverse health effects. Still, many families prefer to be proactive and keep overall exposure as low as reasonably possible, especially for children.

Simple Steps for EMF-Conscious Families

If you're trying to reduce RF and EMF exposure at home, device choice is just one piece of the puzzle. Using speakerphone or headphones instead of holding a phone to your head, and keeping phones out of pockets when possible, can meaningfully reduce body-level exposure based on the head-vs-body differences shown in this data. Beyond phones, many households are also looking at other everyday EMF sources — from low-EMF air purifiers that keep indoor air clean without added electromagnetic emissions, to low-EMF hair dryers for daily routines, and even EMF shielding paint for those renovating or buying a home near cell towers.

Ultimately, this ranking is a tool for informed comparison, not a verdict on safety. For families who want to minimize exposure as a precaution, knowing where your phone sits on this list — and how you carry it — is a reasonable place to start.

Originally reported by Visual Capitalist