Flight device ban: what devices are allowed?

Sony’s Xperia XA Ultra, however, is probably too large. Courtesy Sony

The Xiaomi Mi Max’s 17.3cm length goes over the policy’s dimensions and will likely be banned. Courtesy Xiaomi

The Samsung Galaxy J Max is even larger, at 18.7cm, and will likely be banned. Courtesy Samsung

Phablets such as the Lenovo Phab Pro 2 are too big as well. Courtesy Lenovo

The Apple iPhone 7 Plus, however, fits within the policy’s specifications. Pawan Singh / The National

Which devices are affected by the carry-on ban?

The US department of homeland security requires that all personal electronic devices larger than a cell phone or smart phone be placed in checked baggage on flights from eight countries, including the UAE.

The department advises passengers to check with individual airline.

Etihad has advised passengers that smartphones, tablets and laptops larger than 16cm x 9.3cm will not be allowed in the cabin for flights to the US.

This corresponds with guidances from the UK’s department of transport on certain flights to the UK, which do not include those from the UAE.

Such restrictions mean that owners of larger smartphones such as the iPhone 7 Plus, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and the Huawei Mate 9 will likely have nothing to worry about.

Owners of longer and wider handsets, such as the Lenovo Phab Pro 2, Xiaomi Mi Max, Sony XA Ultra and Samsung Galaxy J Max, might want to double-check with the airline that they can keep their devices in their hand luggage.

GSMarena.com has an exhaustive device database of phone dimensions.

Follow The National's Business section on Twitter