France : List of cell phones withdrawn or updated for deception and endangering users (update 12 September 2023)

List of cell phones withdrawn or updated for deception and endangering users
By : Phonegate Team • 12 Sep 2023

There are now 43 models of cell phones, identified as dangerous to the health of users, which have been either withdrawn from the French market or have seen their Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) updated by software.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 Iphone 12, the Motorola Edge, the Essential Clap 20+ (you have until June 30, 2023 to bring it back to Boulanger), the Xiaomi Poco X3 and the Logicom Le Swipe.

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Thierry Breton, on September 1, 2023, in a written reply to Polish MEP Beata Mazurek, that the iPhone 12 is also withdrawn from the entire European market.

Continue reading:
https://phonegatealert.org/en/list-of-mobile-phones-with-non-compliant-sars-removed-or-updated-in-france-2/