Samsung Electronics’ new smartphone Galaxy S4 showed the lowest radiation emission levels among the latest handsets in the local market, a recent government study showed Monday.

According to the National Radio Research Agency, Galaxy S4’s SAR, or its Specific Absorption Rate, was 0.55 watt per kilogram for an SK Telecom model, 0.438 for KT and 0.353 for LG Uplus.

The SAR is a measure of the amount of radio frequency energy absorbed by the body when using the handset.

The LG Uplus model of LG Electronics’ Optimus G Pro smartphone emitted 0.636 watt per kilogram, while the figures for the other telecom operators’ models were not publicized on the day.

The SAR of Pantech’s Vega Iron ranged between 0.598 and 0.745 watt per kilogram across the models depending on their telecom carriers.

Radiation levels of the Galaxy S4, however, were slightly higher than the average 0.25 watt per kilogram of Samsung’s previous Galaxy Note 2.

Apple’s iPhone 5 showed the highest levels of SAR with 1.07 watts per kilogram, though the figure still meets the nation’s safety standards.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)