Manu Kumar Jain clears the air on Xiaomi phones 'topping' radiation levels

Xiaomi's Global VP and India MD Manu Kumar Jain has a detailed explanation on Twitter after reports about Xiaomi handsets topping the charts of phones emitting high levels of radiation started making the headlines.

Jain clarified all Xiaomi phones sold in India comply with Indian SAR standard set by the Department of Telecom (DoT).

"All #Xiaomi phones sold in India comply with applicable safety requirements of Indian SAR standard & are well under the limit," Jain said in a tweet.

In the radiation test report released by the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection, Xiaomi Mi A1 and the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 were among the top radiation emitting devices.

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He further cited Office memorandum No.18-10/2008-IP, Department of Telecommunications, Govt. of India, which defines the SAR level for a mobile device.

Jain also clarified the particular report making rounds on the internet is based on tests in Germany where conditions and standards for SAR testing and values are different from India.

What is SAR?

As the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) explains, Specific Absorption Rate or SAR is a measure of the rate of radiofrequency energy absorption by the body from a mobile phone. SAR makes sense out of the RF exposure characteristics of cell phones to ensure that they are within the safety guidelines set by regulatory authorities.

The report in question sourced data from the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection, revealing top 20 phones emitting most radiation. Each country has different limits. For example, Germany has a maximum limit of 2.0 W/kg whereas in India, a maximum limit is 1.6 W/kg.