A representative of Apple in Vietnam said that the iPhone 12 was released in 2020 and met the specific absorption rate (SAR) requirements upon import.

On September 12, France's Agence Française Nationale des Fréquences (ANFR) released a statement about the iPhone 12 exceeding set SAR limits, and on September 13, it asked Apple to halt selling the product in France.

A representative of the Department of Science and Technology under the MIC said that SAR is a gauge of the rate of radio frequency energy absorbed by the human body from a piece of equipment.

The World Health Organization has pointed out that when people use mobile phones, tissues in the body experience a heating effect due to the influence of electromagnetic radio wave energy. Long-term continuous exposure can adversely affect human health. In addition, the International Telecommunication Union has reported the same findings.

At the meeting with the MIC, the representative of Apple in Vietnam stated that this issue is related to how the SAR testing was performed.

Currently, Apple is continuing to work with the ANFR and has provided it with measurement results from both Apple and a third-party independent testing laboratory to prove the compliance of the iPhone 12.

Units of the MIC, including the Department of Science and Technology, the Authority of Telecommunications, and the Authority of Radio Frequency Management will continue to monitor and update the case to provide timely advice on the safe management of exposure to electromagnetic radio wave energy.