Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: SAR comparison

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra lists the lower head sar, cellular only (us): 0.98 W/kg vs 1.01 W/kg for the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max (3% 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 16 Pro Max details Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra details

Side-by-side SAR values

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra reported SAR and specs
Measurement	Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max	Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Head SAR, cellular only (US)	1.01 W/kg	0.98 W/kg
Body SAR, cellular only (US)	1.15 W/kg	1.10 W/kg
Head SAR, Wi-Fi + cellular (US)	1.41 W/kg	1.59 W/kg
Body SAR, Wi-Fi + cellular (US)	1.55 W/kg	1.59 W/kg
Hotspot SAR, cellular only (US)	1.15 W/kg	1.20 W/kg
Hotspot SAR, Wi-Fi + cellular (US)	1.55 W/kg	1.54 W/kg
Display: Type	LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (typ), 2000 nits (HBM)	Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200 nits (HBM), 1750 nits (peak)
Display: Size	6.9 inches, 115.6 cm2 (~91.4% screen-to-body ratio)	6.8 inches, 114.7 cm2 (~89.9% screen-to-body ratio)
Display: Resolution	1320 x 2868 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density)	1440 x 3088 pixels (~500 ppi density)
Display: Protection	Ceramic Shield glass (2024 gen)	Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
Hardware: Operating System	iOS 18	Android 13, One UI 5.1
Hardware: Chipset	Apple A18 Pro (3 nm)	Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm)
Hardware: CPU	Hexa-core (2x4.04 GHz + 4x2.X GHz)	Octa-core (1x3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510)
Hardware: GPU	Apple GPU (6-core graphics)	Adreno 740
Battery: Type	Li-Ion, non-removable	Li-Ion 5000 mAh, non-removable
Battery: Charging	Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min (advertised) 25W wireless (MagSafe), 15W wireless (China only) 15W wireless (Qi2) 4.5W reverse wired	45W wired, PD3.0, 65% in 30 min (advertised) 15W wireless (Qi/PMA) 4.5W reverse wireless
Battery: Battery Test	—	Endurance rating 126h
Design: Type	Bar	Bar
Design: Dimensions	163 x 77.6 x 8.3 mm (6.42 x 3.06 x 0.33 in)	163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9 mm (6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 in)
Design: Weight	227 g (8.01 oz)	234 g (8.25 oz)
Design: Colors	Black Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Titanium, Desert Titanium	Phantom Black, Green, Cream, Lavender, Graphite, Sky Blue, Lime, Red, BMW M Edition

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 16 Pro Max or the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra?

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra lists the lower head sar, cellular only (us): 0.98 W/kg vs 1.01 W/kg for the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max (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.

Which has lower body SAR, the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max or the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra?

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra lists the lower body sar, cellular only (us): 1.10 W/kg vs 1.15 W/kg for the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max (4% 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 16 Pro Max or the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra?

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra lists the lower hotspot sar, wi-fi + cellular (us): 1.54 W/kg vs 1.55 W/kg for the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max (1% 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 16 Pro Max's highest listed value is 1.55 W/kg and the Samsung Galaxy S23 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-E8684A and A3LSMS918B). Nothing on this page is estimated.

More comparisons

All phone-vs-phone pages · SAR rankings · Research library

Compare any two phones

First phoneSecond phone

Opens a ready-made comparison page when there is one, otherwise the interactive SAR Compare app.