Apple iPhone 12 Mini vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: SAR comparison

The Apple iPhone 12 Mini lists the lower head sar, cellular only (us): 1.16 W/kg vs 1.26 W/kg for the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (8% lower). Reported SAR values in W/kg; lower is shaded green and higher red within each row, for comparison only.

Side-by-side SAR values

Apple iPhone 12 Mini vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra reported SAR and specs
MeasurementApple iPhone 12 MiniSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Head SAR, cellular only (US)1.16 W/kg1.26 W/kg
Body SAR, cellular only (US)1.09 W/kg0.78 W/kg
Head SAR, Wi-Fi + cellular (US)1.37 W/kg1.59 W/kg
Body SAR, Wi-Fi + cellular (US)1.51 W/kg1.40 W/kg
Hotspot SAR, cellular only (US)1.15 W/kg1.19 W/kg
Hotspot SAR, Wi-Fi + cellular (US)1.59 W/kg1.48 W/kg
Head SAR (EU, 10 g)0.99 W/kgn/a
Body SAR (EU, 10 g)0.99 W/kgn/a
Display: TypeSuper Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 625 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak)Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2600 nits (peak)
Display: Size5.4 inches, 71.9 cm2 (~85.1% screen-to-body ratio)6.9 inches (full rectangle); 6.8 inches accounting for rounded corners
Display: Resolution1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~476 ppi density)1440 x 3120 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~505 ppi density)
Display: ProtectionScratch-resistant ceramic glass, oleophobic coatingCorning Gorilla Armor 2
Hardware: Operating SystemiOS 14.1, upgradable to iOS 15Android 15, up to 7 major Android upgrades, One UI 7
Hardware: ChipsetApple A14 Bionic (5 nm)Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy
Hardware: CPUHexa-core (2x3.1 GHz Firestorm + 4x1.8 GHz Icestorm)Octa-core (2x4.19 GHz & 6x2.90 GHz)
Hardware: GPUApple GPU (4-core graphics)Adreno 830 (1.25 GHz)
Battery: TypeLi-Ion 2227 mAh, non-removable (8.57 Wh)Li-Ion 5000 mAh, non-removable
Battery: Battery TestEndurance rating 69h—
Battery: ChargingFast charging 20W, 50% in 30 min (advertised) USB Power Delivery 2.0 MagSafe wireless charging 15W Qi magnetic fast wireless charging 7.5W45W wired, PD3.0, 65% in 30 min (advertised) 25W wireless (Qi2/PMA) 4.5W reverse wireless
Design: TypeBarBar
Design: Dimensions131.5 x 64.2 x 7.4 mm (5.18 x 2.53 x 0.29 in)162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2 mm (6.41 x 3.06 x 0.32 in)
Design: Weight135 g (4.76 oz)218 g
Design: ColorsBlack, White, Red, Green, Blue, PurpleTitanium Silverblue, Titanium Black, Titanium Whitesilver, Titanium Gray; additional colors may vary by market

Colors make differences within the same measurement easy to see. They do not label a phone safe or unsafe. US values use 1 g of tissue and the 1.6 W/kg limit; EU values use 10 g and 2 W/kg, so don't mix them. What SAR tells you.

Questions and answers

Which has lower head SAR, the Apple iPhone 12 Mini or the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra?

The Apple iPhone 12 Mini lists the lower head sar, cellular only (us): 1.16 W/kg vs 1.26 W/kg for the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (8% lower). Values are reported maximums from FCC filings as listed in the RF Safe dataset, in W/kg averaged over 1 gram of tissue.

Which has lower body SAR, the Apple iPhone 12 Mini or the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra?

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra lists the lower body sar, cellular only (us): 0.78 W/kg vs 1.09 W/kg for the Apple iPhone 12 Mini (28% lower). Values are reported maximums from FCC filings as listed in the RF Safe dataset, in W/kg averaged over 1 gram of tissue.

Which has lower hotspot SAR (Wi-Fi + cellular), the Apple iPhone 12 Mini or the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra?

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra lists the lower hotspot sar, wi-fi + cellular (us): 1.48 W/kg vs 1.59 W/kg for the Apple iPhone 12 Mini (7% lower). Values are reported maximums from FCC filings as listed in the RF Safe dataset, in W/kg averaged over 1 gram of tissue.

What is the highest reported SAR value for each phone?

Across the six US measurements, the Apple iPhone 12 Mini's highest listed value is 1.59 W/kg and the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra's is 1.59 W/kg. The FCC limit for the head and body is 1.6 W/kg averaged over 1 gram. Wi-Fi + cellular values are simultaneous-transmission sums and are evaluated differently, so read each row on its own.

Does a lower SAR mean a phone is safer?

No. SAR is a lab compliance measurement taken at maximum power. Everyday exposure depends on signal strength, distance from the body and which radios are active. Use SAR to compare phones, not as a health score.

Where do these numbers come from?

From the RF Safe SAR dataset, compiled from FCC equipment authorization filings (FCC ID BCG-E3539A and A3LSMS938B). Nothing on this page is estimated.

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