Apple iPhone 13 vs Samsung Galaxy S20: SAR comparison

The Samsung Galaxy S20 lists the lower head sar, cellular only (us): 1.07 W/kg vs 1.18 W/kg for the Apple iPhone 13 (9% 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 13 details Samsung Galaxy S20 details

Side-by-side SAR values

Apple iPhone 13 vs Samsung Galaxy S20 reported SAR and specs
Measurement	Apple iPhone 13	Samsung Galaxy S20
Head SAR, cellular only (US)	1.18 W/kg	1.07 W/kg
Body SAR, cellular only (US)	1.17 W/kg	1.03 W/kg
Head SAR, Wi-Fi + cellular (US)	1.33 W/kg	1.59 W/kg
Body SAR, Wi-Fi + cellular (US)	1.45 W/kg	1.58 W/kg
Hotspot SAR, cellular only (US)	1.18 W/kg	1.25 W/kg
Hotspot SAR, Wi-Fi + cellular (US)	1.51 W/kg	1.59 W/kg
Head SAR (EU, 10 g)	0.99 W/kg	n/a
Body SAR (EU, 10 g)	0.98 W/kg	n/a
Display: Type	Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 800 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak)	Dynamic AMOLED 2X capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Display: Size	6.1 inches, 90.2 cm2 (~86.0% screen-to-body ratio)	6.2 inches, 93.8 cm2 (~89.5% screen-to-body ratio)
Display: Resolution	1170 x 2532 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density)	1440 x 3200 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~563 ppi density)
Display: Protection	Scratch-resistant ceramic glass, oleophobic coating	Corning Gorilla Glass 6
Hardware: Operating System	iOS 15	Android 10.0; One UI 2
Hardware: Chipset	Apple A15 Bionic (5 nm)	Exynos 990 (7 nm+) - GlobalQualcomm SM8250 Snapdragon 865 (7 nm+) - USA
Hardware: CPU	Hexa-core (2x3.22 GHz Avalanche + 4xX.X GHz Blizzard)	Octa-core (2x2.73 GHz Mongoose M5 & 2x2.50 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55) - GlobalOcta-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 585 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 585 & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 585) - USA
Hardware: GPU	Apple GPU (4-core graphics)	Mali-G77 MP11 - GlobalAdreno 650 - USA
Battery: Type	Li-Ion 3240 mAh, non-removable (12.41 Wh)	—
Battery: Battery Test	Endurance rating 89h	—
Battery: Charging	Fast charging 20W, 50% in 30 min (advertised) USB Power Delivery 2.0 MagSafe wireless charging 15W Qi magnetic fast wireless charging 7.5W	Fast battery charging 25W USB Power Delivery 3.0 Fast Qi/PMA wireless charging 15W Power bank/Reverse wireless charging 9W
Design: Type	Bar	Bar
Design: Dimensions	146.7 x 71.5 x 7.7 mm (5.78 x 2.81 x 0.30 in)	151.7 x 69.1 x 7.9 mm (5.97 x 2.72 x 0.31 in)
Design: Weight	174 g (6.14 oz)	163 g (5.75 oz)
Design: Colors	Starlight, Midnight, Blue, Pink, Red	Cosmic Grey, Cloud Blue, Cloud Pink, Cloud White, Aura Red

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 13 or the Samsung Galaxy S20?

The Samsung Galaxy S20 lists the lower head sar, cellular only (us): 1.07 W/kg vs 1.18 W/kg for the Apple iPhone 13 (9% 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 13 or the Samsung Galaxy S20?

The Samsung Galaxy S20 lists the lower body sar, cellular only (us): 1.03 W/kg vs 1.17 W/kg for the Apple iPhone 13 (12% 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 13 or the Samsung Galaxy S20?

The Apple iPhone 13 lists the lower hotspot sar, wi-fi + cellular (us): 1.51 W/kg vs 1.59 W/kg for the Samsung Galaxy S20 (5% 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 13's highest listed value is 1.51 W/kg and the Samsung Galaxy S20'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-E3997A and A3LSMG981U). Nothing on this page is estimated.

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