Understanding SAR ratings and safety for your Fairphone
If you want to understand how radio frequency energy affects your body or check the specific safety values for your smartphone, this guide explains how Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) is measured and lists the official ratings for your Fairphone.
What SAR means for your phone safety
Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) measures how much radio frequency (RF) energy your body absorbs when using a smartphone. In the European Union, SAR safety limits are regulated by the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC).
To ensure safety, European regulations state that any smartphone with a SAR rating up to 2W/kg for the head and trunk (body) and up to 4W/kg for limbs, calculated across 10g of body tissue, is safe for daily use.
Scientific research regarding radio frequency exposure continues globally. To explore additional health studies and international safety guidelines, visit the World Health Organization website.
How testing labs calculate SAR ratings
Testing laboratories calculate SAR across three distinct body regions by setting the phone radio to its maximum transmission level across all frequencies:
- Head rating: The phone is held directly against the head to simulate a standard voice call.
- Body rating: The phone is positioned 0.5cm away from the body to simulate carrying it in a pocket or bag.
- Limb rating: The phone is placed directly against arms or legs to simulate normal handling and direct skin contact.
In summer 2017, the European Union introduced the Radio Equipment Directive (RED), replacing the older R&TTE Directive. This legislation introduced updated measurement methodologies. For smartphones tested before 2017, testing labs applied a standard mathematical factor to head measurements and adjusted the body separation distance to 0.5cm. These changes updated the published numbers because of new testing standards, not hardware changes.
Official SAR ratings for Fairphone models
All Fairphone smartphones operate well within legal European safety limits. The table below outlines the official SAR values for each model based on the latest testing methodology:
| Phone model | Head rating limit (2W/kg) | Trunk and body rating limit (2W/kg) | Limb rating limit (4W/kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Fairphone (Gen. 6) / The Fairphone (Gen. 6+) | 0.487W/kg | 1.388W/kg | 1.388W/kg |
| Fairphone 5 | 0.402W/kg | 0.847W/kg | 0.847W/kg |
| Fairphone 4 | 0.467W/kg | 0.867W/kg | 0.867W/kg |
| Fairphone 3 / Fairphone 3+ | 0.388W/kg / 0.411W/kg | 1.405W/kg | 2.537W/kg |
| Fairphone 2* | 0.65W/kg | 1.1W/kg | Not published** |
* These measurements follow the latest testing standards.** Limb measurements were not legally required when the Fairphone 2 was released, but the phone remains well within legal safety limits.
Still need help?
If you still require assistance, reach out to our customer support team. You can also open a support request directly through the My Fairphone app pre-installed on your device.