Methodology for Top Cell Phones for 2010
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Cell phone radiation level of new 2010 phones - EWG's methodology
Sources listing top cell phones for 2010
EWG's "Top cell phones for 2010" lists radiofrequency emissions of cell phones recommended by top technical experts in product reviews published in January and February 2010. These experts judged cell phones on performance, aesthetics, usability and features but not radiation output.
Our "tech expert rank" orders the top phones based on number of recommendations and rank on the respective lists. Phones with identical scores are listed alphabetically.
EWG based its expert ranking on these reviewers’ recommendations:
- PC World: Top 10 cell phones by Ginny Mies, January 2010. Mies reviewed "productivity phones that offer a lot more than the ability to make calls," and recommended "the 10 best smartphones available today."(1) [link]
- CNET: Best 5 cell phones by Kent German, Senior Editor, Cell Phones. German recommended "five handsets that we think are the top cell phones right now in any category."(2) [link]
- PCMag.com: Top rated by Jaime Lendino and Sascha Segan, Editors. Lendino and Segan recommended 6 "top rated" phones based on the PCMag lab’s "stringent set of tests to analyze cell phones and smartphones... taking into account reception, call quality, Bluetooth, battery life, and multimedia capabilities."(3) [link]
- Consumer Reports: Top cell phones. Consumer Reports tested more than 70 cell and smart phones, rating on voice quality, ease of use, talk time, messaging and battery life. (4,5) EWG used CR’s picks for the first and second best cell phones and smart phones from each provider. [link]
Radiation emissions
EWG obtained data on cell phone radiation, also known as radiofrequency emissions or radiofrequency energy, from a variety of sources. Some cell phone makers publish online user's manuals with emissions output, expressed as the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR), which the FCC defines as "a measure of the amount of radiofrequency energy absorbed by the body when using a mobile phone" (6) [link]
Other manufacturers and providers post no information on radiation. For those models, EWG analysts relied on secondary sources to find a code number known as the FCC ID, generally embedded inside the phone, near the battery. EWG used this number to extract emissions data from the FCC online database (7).
EWG analysts could not locate an online user’s manual or other easily accessible source disclosing emissions for Google's new Nexus One smart phone. EWG found a tech blogger's photograph that showed the phone's interior and its FCC ID. Using this number, EWG pinpointed the Google Nexus One radiation output in the FCC database.
References
(1) Mies, Ginny (ed.). 2010. Top 10 cell phones. PC World. Accessed February 8, 2010 at http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/collection/1671/top_10_cell_phones.html. January 22, 2009.
(2) German, Kent (ed.). 2010. Best 5 cell phones. CNET. Accessed February 8, 2010 at http://reviews.cnet.com/best-cell-phones/. February 8, 2010.
(3) PCMag.com. 2010. Top rated [cell phones]. Accessed February 8, 2010 at http://www.pcmag.com/category2/0,2806,2357,00.asp.
(4) ConsumerReports.com. 2010. Smart phones. Accessed February 8, 2010 at http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-computers/phones-mobile-devices/cell-phones-services/smart-phone-ratings/ratings-overview.htm.
(5) ConsumerReports.com. 2010. Cell phones. Accessed February 8, 2010 at http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-computers/phones-mobile-devices/cell-phones-services/cell-phone-ratings/ratings-overview.htm.
(6) FCC (Federal Communications Commission). 2010. Cellular telephone Specific Absorption Rate (SAR). Accessed January 19, 2010 at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/sar/.
(7) FCC (Federal Communications Commission). 2010. FCC database. Available online at http://www.fcc.gov/oet/ea/fccid/