Apple iPhone 12 vs Samsung Galaxy S10 5G: SAR comparison

The Samsung Galaxy S10 5G lists the lower head sar, cellular only (us): 0.30 W/kg vs 1.17 W/kg for the Apple iPhone 12 (74% lower). Reported SAR values in W/kg; lower is shaded green and higher red within each row, for comparison only.

Open in interactive SAR Compare Apple iPhone 12 details Samsung Galaxy S10 5G details

Side-by-side SAR values

Apple iPhone 12 vs Samsung Galaxy S10 5G reported SAR and specs
Measurement	Apple iPhone 12	Samsung Galaxy S10 5G
Head SAR, cellular only (US)	1.17 W/kg	0.30 W/kg
Body SAR, cellular only (US)	1.19 W/kg	1.11 W/kg
Head SAR, Wi-Fi + cellular (US)	1.38 W/kg	1.17 W/kg
Body SAR, Wi-Fi + cellular (US)	1.55 W/kg	1.51 W/kg
Hotspot SAR, cellular only (US)	1.19 W/kg	0.38 W/kg
Hotspot SAR, Wi-Fi + cellular (US)	1.55 W/kg	1.59 W/kg
Head SAR (EU, 10 g)	0.99 W/kg	0.26 W/kg
Body SAR (EU, 10 g)	0.99 W/kg	1.55 W/kg
Display: Type	Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, 625 nits (typ), 1200 nits (peak)	Dynamic AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Display: Size	6.1 inches, 90.2 cm2 (~86.0% screen-to-body ratio)	6.7 inches, 112.0 cm2 (~89.4% screen-to-body ratio)
Display: Resolution	1170 x 2532 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density)	1440 x 3040 pixels, 19:9 ratio (~502 ppi density)
Display: Protection	Scratch-resistant ceramic glass, oleophobic coating	Corning Gorilla Glass 6
Hardware: Operating System	iOS 14.1, upgradable to iOS 14.2	Android 9.0 (Pie); One UI
Hardware: Chipset	Apple A14 Bionic (5 nm)	Exynos 9820 Octa (8 nm) - EMEAQualcomm SDM855 Snapdragon 855 (7 nm) - USA/LATAM, China
Hardware: CPU	Hexa-core (2x3.1 GHz Firestorm + 4x1.8 GHz Icestorm)	Octa-core (2x2.73 GHz Mongoose M4 & 2x2.31 GHz Cortex-A75 & 4x1.95 GHz Cortex-A55) - EMEAOcta-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 485 & 3x2.41 GHz Kryo 485 & 4x1.78 GHz Kryo 485) - USA/LATAM, China
Hardware: GPU	Apple GPU (4-core graphics)	Mali-G76 MP12 - EMEA Adreno 640 - USA/LATAM, China
Battery: Type	Li-Ion 2815 mAh, non-removable (10.78 Wh)	—
Battery: Battery Test	Endurance rating 84h	—
Battery: Charging	Fast charging 20W, 50% in 30 min (advertised) USB Power Delivery 2.0 Qi magnetic fast wireless charging 15W	Fast battery charging 25W (USB Power Delivery 3.0) Fast wireless charging 15W Power bank/Reverse wireless charging 9W
Design: Type	Bar	Bar
Design: Dimensions	146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4 mm (5.78 x 2.81 x 0.29 in)	162.6 x 77.1 x 7.9 mm (6.40 x 3.04 x 0.31 in)
Design: Weight	164 g (5.78 oz)	198 g (6.98 oz)
Design: Colors	Black, White, Red, Green, Blue	Prism White

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 or the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G?

The Samsung Galaxy S10 5G lists the lower head sar, cellular only (us): 0.30 W/kg vs 1.17 W/kg for the Apple iPhone 12 (74% 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 or the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G?

The Samsung Galaxy S10 5G lists the lower body sar, cellular only (us): 1.11 W/kg vs 1.19 W/kg for the Apple iPhone 12 (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.

Which has lower hotspot SAR (Wi-Fi + cellular), the Apple iPhone 12 or the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G?

The Apple iPhone 12 lists the lower hotspot sar, wi-fi + cellular (us): 1.55 W/kg vs 1.59 W/kg for the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G (3% 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's highest listed value is 1.55 W/kg and the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G'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-E3542A and A3LSMG977U). Nothing on this page is estimated.

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