List of cell phones withdrawn or updated for deception and endangering users

By :  • 13 Aug 2024
Categories : Health, Press releases, Protection
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List of cell phones withdrawn or updated for deception and endangering users

There are now 54 models of cell phones, identified as dangerous to the health of users, which have been either withdrawn from the French market or have seen their Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) updated by software. The latest:the DOOGEE N50, DOOGEE S100 Pro and the OSCAL C80, the SPC Discovery, the Motorola MOTO G53, the Nokia G22, the HOTWAV Cyber 7, the LOGICOM Flow, the EMPORIA smart 4, the DOOGEE S88, the EMPORIA simplicity V27,  the Iphone 12, the Motorola Edge, the Essential Clap 20+, the Xiaomi Poco X3 and the LOGICOM Le Swipe.

Three new smartphones withdrawn from the market and recalled: the DOOGEE N50, DOOGEE S100 Pro and the OSCAL C80

The summer of 2024 has certainly been a busy one for the Agence Nationale des Fréquences (ANFR), the French national frequencies agency, with its announcement of several cases of overexposure from cell phones not complying with regulatory limits designed to protect users’ health and safety. No less than six in just a few days!

In two separate press releases published on August 9, 2024, for the DOOGEE N50 and S100 Pro and on August 12, 2024 for the OSCAL C80, ANFR announced the withdrawal and recall of these three smartphones marketed in France by PROLINX GmbH.

To date, despite several public reminders from our NGO to ANFR via the X network, none of the test reports are available. So we don’t know when the tests took place. This would be very useful in trying to understand why these announcements are made in the middle of summer. This is also the case for several other tests whose reports are still missing.

As a reminder, back in 2016, the Commission d’accès aux documents administratifs (CADA) confirmed ANFR’s obligation to make all test reports available to the public.

Given ANFR’s lack of transparency and the absence of public data, our NGO will wait until the reports are published in the data base before giving an opinion on the overexposure levels of these three smartphones.

SPC Discovery pinned for overexposure!

At the end of July 2024, almost every day a new smartphone is found to have exceeded regulatory levels protecting the health and safety of users. Today, it’s the SPC Discovery, a brand from Spain mainly dedicated to senior citizens, which has been pinpointed during an inspection carried out in France.

The Agence nationale des fréquences (ANFR) finally reacted to our communication with a press release on its website published on July 24, 2024. The ANFR confirms that the SPC Discovery’s exposure level at limb level has been exceeded, at 4.710 W/kg for a limit of 4W/kg. Tests were carried out in December 2023…

It was high time for the telecoms regulator to inform users!

What’s more, the software update to 3.340 W/kg and its validation by the accredited German laboratory Cetecom Advanced dates back to May 2024.

A theoretical reduction, according to our NGO… In fact, our SAR calculator evaluates the actual exposure of the SPC Discovery at a minimum of 6.680 W/kg.

Motorola MOTO G53, the fiftieth smartphone model to be pinned for non-compliant exposure

Our NGO’s action is bearing fruit, even if we still have a long way to go to achieve effective, real protection for the health of millions of cell phone users. In any case, with your support, we have reached the symbolic milestone of 50 cell phone models withdrawn from the market or updated in France. This success is yours!

As we mentioned in connection with the Nokia G22 smartphone, the ANFR has also made no announcement that the exposure of the Motorola Moto G53 cell phone has been exceeded.

According to the few elements made available via ANFR’s DATA base, all we know is that the “member” SAR tested by the accredited German laboratory Cetecom Advanced showed a significant exceedance, 5.61 W/kg instead of the regulatory limit of 4W/kg.

Following a software update of the phone, a new laboratory test in May 2024 showed a drop in “member” SAR to 3.44 W/kg. In fact, our SAR calculator evaluates actual exposure to the Moto G53 at a minimum of 6.88 W/kg.

ANFR forgets to inform users!

Despite the summer period, our team regularly monitors the Agence Nationale des Fréquences (ANFR) database. Our vigilance is paying off! We have discovered that three dangerous smartphones were added to the regulatory agency’s database on July 5, 2024, without ANFR even informing users and the public, as it regularly does.

The three smartphones pinpointed by the ANFR in tests carried out by the accredited German laboratory Cetecom Advanced are the Nokia G22, the Motorola Moto G53 and the SPC Discovery.

Tests carried out on the NOKIA G22 in January 2024 show a Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) at trunk level of 2.39 W/kg, above the European regulatory limit of 2W/kg and the SAR level misleadingly displayed by the manufacturer of 1.583 W/kg. Once again, the full test report is missing….

A software update carried out by the manufacturer and tested by ANFR in April 2024 reduced the SAR of the Nokia G22 to 1.150 W/kg.

Now, as we announced, our NGO Phonegate Alert has decided to systematically publish the data from our calculator (in beta test version for the moment) to enable everyone to measure the changes that need to be put in place at regulatory level to properly protect the health and safety of billions of cell phone users.

The actual trunk SAR value obtained from our calculator shows a trunk SAR of at least 4.6 W/kg, exceeding the regulatory limit of 2 W/kg by more than 2 times.

We’ll be publishing information on the Motorola Moto G53 and SPC Discovery later this week.

HOTWAV Cyber 7 withdrawn from the French market

In a press release dated April 8, 2024, the French National Frequencies Agency (ANFR) announced the withdrawal from the French market of the HOTWAV Cyber 7 smartphone, after tests carried out by the accredited German laboratory CETECOM revealed that the trunk SAR (2.112 W/kg) and limb SAR (4.246 W/kg) had been exceeded.

To date, the test report has not yet been published by ANFR on its website dedicated to Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) measurements. However, no fewer than 978 cell phone test reports have been made available since they were obtained following legal action initiated in 2016 by Dr. Marc Arazi.


Distributors on the front line!

HOTWAV SHENZHEN TUGAO INTELLIGENT CO LTD is responsible for the marketing of this cell phone, which does not comply with European regulations. As the Chinese manufacturer failed to respond to ANFR’s injunctions to bring its SARs into compliance, the French regulatory agency decided to withdraw and recall the HOTWAV Cyber 7.Distributors on the front line!

It also enjoined distributors to:

“In the absence of any reaction or instruction from the manufacturer, it is up to distributors to take the necessary measures to withdraw and recall the phones concerned on their own initiative. Indeed, article R. 20-13-1 IV of the CPCE stipulates that “distributors who consider, or have reason to believe, that radioelectric equipment they have made available on the market does not comply with the present section shall ensure that the necessary corrective measures are taken to bring it into compliance, withdraw it from the market or recall it, if necessary.””

Withdrawal from the market and recall procedures apply not only to physical store sites, but also to online sales platforms.

New Logicom smartphone pinned for exceeding SAR

In a press release dated February 12, 2024, the Agence nationale des fréquences (ANFR) revealed that when tested by the CETECOM accredited laboratory, the trunk SAR of the Logicom Flow smartphone exceeded the authorized regulatory limit of 2W/kg, namely 2.09 W/kg.

Logicom is, to say the least, a repeat offender! In fact, five of its models have recently been nabbed for non-compliance with SAR levels (the M BOT 60, the HOLA, the SWIPPE, the PULSE and the FLOW). And the administrative financial penalty of 7,500 euros imposed on LOGICOM Swippe in March 2023 doesn’t seem to have had the slightest deterrent effect on the French manufacturer.

LOGICOM LIST of non compliant smartphones

FLOW’s real trunk SAR is 5.25 W/kg, not 1.05 W/kg

A software update has been carried out, which, according to ANFR, has reduced the “trunk” SAR level to 1.05 W/kg.

Now, as we announced, our NGO Phonegate Alert has decided to systematically publish the data from our calculator (in beta test version for the moment) to enable everyone to measure the changes that need to be put in place at regulatory level to properly protect the health and safety of billions of cell phone users.

Calculator SAR LOGICOM FLOW

The actual trunk SAR value, as calculated by our calculator, shows a trunk SAR of at least 5.25 W/kg, nearly 3 times above the regulatory limit of 2 W/kg.

As for the “limbs” SAR level, it comes out at 6.9 W/kg, far from the indicated amount of 3.45 W/kg and well above the regulatory limit of 4 W/kg.

So many reasons to advise against buying Logicom smartphones!

EMPORIA smart 4 withdrawn from the French market

The year 2024 begins with a new announcement of SAR exceedances for the EMPORIA smart 4 smartphone for seniors, due to be launched in 2021. In just a few weeks, the Austrian manufacturer has been doubly penalized following the recall of the EMPORIA simplicity 4.

The Agence nationale des fréquences (ANFR) press release published on January 4, 2024 shows that the “member” SAR of the EMPORIA amounts to 4.74 W/kg, i.e. above the regulatory limit of 4W/kg. The ANFR has therefore enjoined the manufacturer to bring its cell phone into compliance with the regulations by January 19, 2024. Failing this, the agency is threatening the EMPORIA smart 4 with a recall!

The “real” trunk SAR is 8.5 W/kg and not 1.7 W/kg

When tested by the German laboratory CETECOM in April 2023, the “trunk” SAR was measured at 1.70 W/kg. But can we really trust the test methods used to measure trunk exposure?

Our answer is clearly NO!

In fact, the actual trunk SAR value obtained from our calculator shows a trunk SAR in European Union of at least 8.5 W/kg, more than four times the regulatory limit of 2 W/kg.

This means that we need to put an end to this widespread deception, which has allowed manufacturers to overexpose us for 30 years. From now on, our NGO Phonegate Alert will systematically publish the data from our calculator (in beta test version for the moment) to enable everyone to measure the changes that need to be put in place at regulatory level to properly protect the health and the secutity of billions of cell phone users.

DOOGEE S88 and EMPORIA simplicity V27 withdrawn from the French market and recalled

The list of phones at risk from regulatory non-compliance continues to grow. In a press release published on October 19, 2023, the Agence Nationale des Fréquences (ANFR) has just pinpointed two new smartphones for exceeding specific absorption rate (SAR) levels in the limbs.

On reading the test reports for the two cell phones (DOOGEE S88, EMPORIA simplicity V27), our NGO notes once again that the agency waited some ten months before publicly informing users. More problematically, as with the iPhone 12, the tests carried out by the German laboratory Cetecom Advanced do not reveal the said overruns.

Why not? The ANFR, which we contacted, has still not replied…

According to the ANFR press release, the SAR of the DOOGEE S88 and EMPORIA simplicity V27 was measured at 4.23 W/kg, compared with the regulatory limit of 4 W/kg. This led the agency to make the following decisions:

“ANFR enjoins EMPORIA and DOOGEE to implement all available means to rapidly remedy this malfunction on equipment on the market as well as those already marketed. Distributors must also cease marketing their products.”

iPhone 12 banned from sale in France

It’s a real thunderclap for Californian giant Apple. In a press release published on September 12, 2023, the French National Frequencies Agency (ANFR) has just announced the provisional withdrawal of the iPhone 12 for exceeding the regulatory SAR level for members. All distributors are therefore obliged to withdraw it from their points of sale as of today.

The iPhone 12 is also the first of the Apple brand’s smartphones to be pinned by the ANFR. SAR tests were carried out by German laboratory CTC Advanced in 2021 and according to the agency’s data:

“They must therefore comply with the regulatory limit values of 4 W/kg for “limb” SAR and 2 W/kg for “trunk” SAR. ANFR measurements revealed a “limb” SAR value exceeding this limit, i.e. 5.74 W/kg. On the other hand, the trunk SAR values are compliant.

We were unable to access the specific test report, which at the time of writing does not appear in the ANFR SAR test database. However, it appears that tests carried out on a series of iPhone 12s date back to 2021, and the same applies to iPhone 13s, which are still being tested by ANFR.

Increasingly long delays

We note with regret that it has taken almost two years for the penalty to fall and for iPhone 12 owners to be informed of the overexposure caused by their smartphone. A much too long delay, which only benefits the Apple manufacturer.

Apple must now update the SAR software on the iPhone 12 as soon as possible. Failure to do so could, according to French Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, result in a recall request for all iPhone 12s sold in France.

We will also immediately ensure that the ANFR informs the European authorities and, as announced by the European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, on September 1, 2023, in a written reply to Polish MEP Beata Mazurek, that the iPhone 12 is also withdrawn from the entire European market.

Motorola is fined 7500 euros!

In a press release dated May 22, 2023, the National Frequency Agency (ANFR) announced that the SAR measurement tests of the Motorola Edge cell phone model did not comply with regulatory limits for the trunk (2.12 W/kg instead of 2 W/kg).

The control launched by ANFR dates back to May 2021. And the tests conducted by the approved laboratory CTC Advanced were carried out in August 2021. It has taken two years before users of these smartphones are finally informed of the non-compliance of their devices with European and national regulations.

Why such a delay?

The explanation is only in part due, according to the announcement of ANFR, to a failure of the manufacturer Motorola:

“The company MOTOROLA has taken the decision to reduce the power of its terminals via a software update. The control by ANFR of the effectiveness of the corrective measures has nevertheless highlighted a persistence of the non-compliance. Consequently, MOTOROLA has proceeded to the development of a second software update to put an end to the non-conformities observed.”

However, can we be satisfied with such delays when it comes to the safety and health protection of consumers? Our answer is clearly NO! We propose that as soon as the information is known by ANFR, the latter undertakes to inform the public immediately.

And it is not the administrative fine of 7500 euros imposed on the American manufacturer which will be able to play a dissuasive role for industrialists who are most often repeat offenders. This was the case of Boulanger for its private label, as well as manufacturers Samsung and Xiaomi to name only the most recent sanctions.

Will the Motorola Edge be updated throughout the European Union?

In 2022, with our partner, Europeans for Safe Connections, we launched a collaborative European campaign to ensure that a cell phone pinned in France or in another EU country is pinned in all of Europe.

It seems that we are starting to be heard. In a reply we received in April 2023 from the Greek telecom regulatory agency, we learned that a group of 9 European countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Greece, Latvia, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden) have set up (in all discretion) a working process called JAHARP 2020 aiming mainly at :

“Identifying non-compliant connected wearable devices and appropriate actions to bring them into compliance or remove them from the market…”

And the Greek regulator added in its letter:

“We further inform you that following a relevant French investigation regarding cell phones, withdrawal measures were taken in Greece for the relevant types of cell phones circulating in the Greek market. The extension of the measures to Greece took place in 2019.”

We therefore officially request that the Motorola Edge is the first smartphone to have to comply throughout the European area.

The Essential Clap 20+ pinned!

In a press release dated April 4, 2023, the National Frequency Agency (ANFR) announced that the SAR measurement tests of the Essentiel Clap 20+ mobile phone model did not respect the regulatory limits for the trunk (2 .73 W/kg instead of 2W/kg) and limbs (4.14W/kg instead of 4W/kg).

For the moment, it has not been possible to access the test reports carried out in the laboratory. Indeed, the entire SAR test database is not accessible. As a reminder, it was following our actions before the Administrative Court that the agency finally had to make public in 2018 the hundreds of test reports kept secret since 2012.

Base de données ANFR indisponible

The inaccessible database

By consulting the instructions for the Essential Clap 20+, we realize that the SAR levels indicated by the manufacturer and its Boulanger distributor are greatly reduced. The trunk SAR in particular, which comes out at 1.33W/kg, half the controlled level of 2.73W/kg. As for the head SAR, it was not subject to any control by the ANFR. Why, knowing that the manufacturer had failed in its compliance with regulations and information to its customers?

Notice Essentiel Clap 20+

The instructions for the l’Essentiel Clap 20+

An update…to do in store

ANFR asked Boulanger to implement a DAS software update. However, according to the agency, it is not possible to automatically download it from your phone.

It is a first, and owners of the Essential Clap 20+ will therefore have until June 30 to return their mobile to their distributor. There will then be a manual installation of the patch…and this without further details from either the ANFR or the distributor.

Owners of a Clap 20+ must therefore contact the company via a dedicated email: retourclap20@ingrammicro.com, specifying their contact details (surname, first name, address and telephone number).

Boulanger, a recidivist distributor

As a reminder, in March 2021 and April 2021 two smartphones also sold by the distributor Boulanger (EssentielB HeYou 60 and 40), presenting a “risky” SAR for the trunk and limbs, respectively of 2.86 W/kg and 5.26 W/ kg for the first, had already been sanctioned for exceeding regulatory thresholds.

For Dr. Marc Arazi, who issued the alert:

“Distributor Boulanger is a repeat offender! And the least we can say is that the measures put in place by our telecom regulator are not likely to prevent him from sleeping. Customers who use the Clap 20+ are the big losers in this affair. Will they even be informed of the situation? It is high time for the legislator to put in place much stricter and more restrictive rules for manufacturers and distributors of smartphones.”

 

The Xiaomi company pinned for exceeding SAR and sentenced to an administrative fine of 7,500 €

In a press release published on March 1, 2023, the National Frequencies Agency (ANFR) indicates that, during an inspection, trunk SAR measurements were found to be too high on the Xiaomi Poco X3 smartphone. Its trunk SAR has been measured at 2.33 W/kg, the limit value being set at 2 W/kg. A first software update, performed by the manufacturer, did not bring it into compliance: the trunk SAR amounted to 2.67 W/kg, while the limb SAR was measured at 5.49 W/kg , for a regulatory threshold set at 4 W/kg.

A second update has therefore been necessary for the measurements to finally comply with the legislation, with a trunk SAR at 1.3 W/kg and a limb SAR at 2.78 W/kg. Due to the persistence of non-compliance following the first update, Xiaomi was ordered by the ANFR to pay an administrative fine of €7,500.

Logicom also sentenced to a fine of €7,500

In the same press release, the ANFR indicates that it has carried out similar tests on the Le Swipe smartphone from the Logicom brand. Here again, too high SAR values were observed: 2.07 W/kg for the trunk SAR, the legal limit being set at 2 W/kg. Despite a software update carried out by Logicom, the non-compliance of the phone was still observed, the trunk SAR being reduced to 2.04 W/kg, but still above the regulatory threshold.

It is only after a second update that the trunk SAR has finally been measured in compliance, at 0.757 W/kg. Logicom has also been sanctioned by the ANFR with an administrative fine of €7,500.

After Samsung, Logicom has been given also a 7,500 euros penalty

In a press release dated December 15, 2022, the French National Frequencies Agency (ANFR) revealed that it had detected too high trunk and limb SAR values on the Le Pulse smartphone during an inspection carried out in April 2021. It initially had a SAR trunk of 2.47 W/kg and a SAR limb of 4.36 W/kg, the regulatory threshold being set at 2 W/kg and 4 W/kg.

This one even soared to 4.8 W/kg following a first software update. It took no less than three updates and twenty months of waiting for the phone to finally comply, the SAR trunk being reduced to 0.393 W/kg and the SAR member to 0.799 W/kg. The French company Logicom has been penalized with a 7500 euros fine.

 

Samsung has been given a 7,500 euros penalty

In its press release published on the 18th of November, the French National Agency of Frequencies (ANFR) revealed that it detected too important SAR values on two other cell phones. First of them, the Galaxy Z Flip from Samsung, has initially been measured with a trunk SAR of 2.05 W/kg, the regulatory level being fixed at 2 W/kg. It even raised to 3.024 W/kg after the first software update made by the company. A second one has thus been necessary to make the cell phone compliant, the trunk SAR being brought back to 1.04 W/kg. By the way, Samsung has been penalized with a 7,500 euros fine.

https://twitter.com/anfr/status/1593621486362828804

SAR excesses from the Wiko Y82

In the same press release, the ANFR mentions the Wiko Y82 whose limb SAR, measured at 4.01 W/kg, slightly exceeded the regulatory level, being fixed at 4 W/kg. Once again, a software update has been required so as to lower limb SAR to 2.3 W/kg. This already is the third cell phone from the Chinese manufacturer whose SAR values were measured as too important by the french agency.

In an unusual way and as reported by Next INpact website, tests reports have not been made public yet by the ANFR. We asked the agency on Twitter to obtain explanations.

SAR exceeded for ONEPLUS 7 PRO mobile phone

The ONEPLUS 7 Pro smartphone has been pinned down in a SAR test carried out by the French National Frequency Agency (ANFR). As a reminder, the very limited budget of the French telecoms regulator only allows it to check the compliance of just over one in ten mobile phones sold in France each year. This situation has remained virtually unchanged since our alert was launched in July 2016.

In the press release published on 19 October 2022, the ANFR announced that it had detected an excess of the SAR of the member phone, which according to the German laboratory CTC Advanced was 4.42 W/kg. The first tests were carried out at the beginning of January 2022. It will therefore have taken more than ten months for users of the ONEPLUS 7 Pro to finally be informed of the overexposure to waves of their phone whose SAR has been reduced to 2.33 W/kg. These delays are aberrant when compared to other alerts, such as those concerning the food sector.

Moreover, and we regret this, only a few French media outlets have reported on the risks that this Chinese manufacturer poses to its customers.

SAR overrun for the XIAOMI REDMI NOTE 9 PRO

New excess of SAR found during a control conducted by the National Agency of Frequencies (ANFR) on the smartphone of Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi, the REDMI NOTE 9 PRO. Indeed in a statement published on July 28, 2022 on its website, the French agency published the tests conducted by the laboratory CTC Advanced which show a SAR member above the regulatory level of 4 W/kg, namely 4.96 W/kg.

However, once again after the Samsung Galaxy Note 10, it took eighteen months for the manufacturer Xiaomi to regularize the situation by implementing a software update. The tests were conducted in January 2021 and users did not discover until far too late that they had been overexposed to the waves from their smartphones.

As for the manufacturer Xiaomi, it is a recidivist well known to our association who thinks he can do whatever he wants since our criminal complaints against him have been dismissed by the Paris Prosecutor’s Office.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus nabbed for exceeding SAR

On July 11, 2022, theNational Frequency Agency (ANFR) revealed in a statement that three new models from manufacturers Samsung (Galaxy Note 10 Plus), Hisense (Infinity H 30) and Gigaset(GX290)have been checked for SAR exceedances. A software update has been imposed on manufacturers to bring the SAR back to the regulatory level (a procedure for which Phonegate Alert is reserved).

It should be noted that the test of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus was conducted at the very beginning of 2021 and the information is given to users only 18 months later….why?

Danger for the RealMe 7i from Oppo

The latest dated December 20, 2021, is the RealMe 7i of the Chinese manufacturer OPPO whose member SAR after control of the National Agency of Frequencies (ANFR) exceeded the regulatory level set at 4W/kg. It has been tested in the laboratory at 4.91 W/kg and the SAR trunk is also particularly limited as reaching 1.96 W/kg (maximum 2W/kg). As a reminder, there is a significant margin of error of about 25%. After the update the limb SAR is reduced to 2.37 W/kg and the trunk SAR to 0.948 W/kg. However, it is up to the users to update their devices.

Nokia and the retailer Boulanger sanctioned

And among the latest smartphones tested with a “non-compliant” SAR trunk we also find the Nokia 7 Plus (SAR 3.48 W/kg) and the Sony XPERIA 5 (2.64 W/kg) . The manufacturer HMD GLOBAL OY (Nokia) received a financial penalty of 7,500 euros.

In addition, in March 2021 and April 2021 two smartphones sold by the distributor Boulanger (EssentielB HeYou 60 and 40) with a SAR trunk and limbs “at risk” respectively of 2.86 W/kg and 5.26 W/kg for the first have been sanctioned for exceeding regulatory thresholds

Updated list of cell phones dangerous to health

Table of smartphones with SAR exceedances revised to March 01, 2023

You can download the list here

List of dangerous models that have not been removed or updated

Also feel free to consult the list of more than 250 other models sold before June 2017 and which must after advice from the French health agency (ANSES) in late 2019 and the government be either withdrawn or updated.

Unfortunately, despite several reminders, the government has not yet taken any measures to protect the health of consumers! Read the Tribune we published in December in the Club de Mediapart. We question the government for its inaction in the face of public health issues related to mobile telephony.

Press kit-list of risky models (June 28, 2018)

List of the main manufacturers of cell phones concerned by an excess of SAR

Alcatel.
Allview
Apple
Archos
BlackBerry
Echo

Emporia
Gigaset.
Honor
HTC
Huawei
LG
Logicom
Motorola.
Nokia.
Oppo
OnePlus.
Razer
Samsung.
Sony mobile.
Wiko.
Xiaomi.

 

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