What is the SAR rating of a mobile phone?
The SAR rating of a mobile phone is the Specific Absorption Rate of the energy produced and is used as a measure of the absorption of radio waves in the head. It is a relatively inaccurate guide to the radiation level emitted by a particular phone. While using a phone with the lowest possible SAR value is preferable, doing so will have little effect on exposure compared with other strategies because the ratings are an inaccurate guide to relative exposures. Measurements in test situations do not necessarily accurately reflect the differences in head tissue type and age of the exposed person, which can greatly affect absorption in practice. The SAR is affected by how you hold your fingers on the back of the phone in order to press the phone to your ear – especially in phones with internal antennas. The SAR is measured with the handset operating at full power, so does not reflect how a phone responds to low signal strength which can significantly affect the level of radiation emitted by
