Apple iPhone 17 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 5g: SAR comparison
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 5g lists the lower head sar, cellular only (us): 1.09 W/kg vs 1.19 W/kg for the Apple iPhone 17 Pro (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
| Measurement | Apple iPhone 17 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 5g |
|---|---|---|
| Head SAR, cellular only (US) | 1.19 W/kg | 1.09 W/kg |
| Body SAR, cellular only (US) | 1.19 W/kg | 1.19 W/kg |
| Head SAR, Wi-Fi + cellular (US) | 1.59 W/kg | 1.59 W/kg |
| Body SAR, Wi-Fi + cellular (US) | 1.59 W/kg | 1.57 W/kg |
| Hotspot SAR, cellular only (US) | 1.19 W/kg | 1.19 W/kg |
| Hotspot SAR, Wi-Fi + cellular (US) | 1.59 W/kg | 1.56 W/kg |
| Display: Type | LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (typ), 1600 nits (HBM), 3000 nits (peak) | Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2600 nits (peak) |
| Display: Size | 6.3 inches, 96.4 cm2 (~89.4% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.9 inches, 115.9 cm2 (~90.7% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Display: Resolution | 1206 x 2622 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density) | 1440 x 3120 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~500 ppi density) |
| Display: Protection | Ceramic Shield 2, Mohs level 5 | Corning Gorilla Armor 2, Mohs level 6 |
| Hardware: Operating System | iOS 26 | Android 16, up to 7 major Android upgrades, One UI 8.5 |
| Hardware: Chipset | Apple A19 Pro (3 nm) | Qualcomm SM8850-AC Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3 nm) |
| Hardware: CPU | Hexa-core (2x4.26 GHz + 4xX.X GHz) | Octa-core (2x4.74 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix L + 6x3.62 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix M) |
| Hardware: GPU | Apple GPU (6-core graphics) | Adreno 840 |
| Battery: Type | Li-Ion 3988 mAh - Nano SIM modelLi-Ion 4252 mAh - eSIM only model | Li-Ion 5000 mAh |
| Battery: Charging | Wired, PD3.2, AVS, 50% in 20 min 25W wireless MagSafe/Qi2, 50% in 30 min (15W - China) 4.5W reverse wired | 60W wired, PD3.0, 75% in 30 min 25W wireless (Qi2.2) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Design: Type | Bar | Bar |
| Design: Dimensions | 150 x 71.9 x 8.8 mm (5.91 x 2.83 x 0.35 in) | 163.6 x 78.1 x 7.9 mm (6.44 x 3.07 x 0.31 in) |
| Design: Weight | 206 g (7.27 oz) | 214 g (7.55 oz) |
| Design: Colors | Silver, Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue | Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, Black, White, Silver Shadow, Pink Gold |
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 17 Pro or the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 5g?
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 5g lists the lower head sar, cellular only (us): 1.09 W/kg vs 1.19 W/kg for the Apple iPhone 17 Pro (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 17 Pro or the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 5g?
Both list the same body sar, cellular only (us): 1.19 W/kg. 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 17 Pro or the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 5g?
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 5g lists the lower hotspot sar, wi-fi + cellular (us): 1.56 W/kg vs 1.59 W/kg for the Apple iPhone 17 Pro (2% 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 17 Pro's highest listed value is 1.59 W/kg and the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 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-E8949A and A3LSMS948U). Nothing on this page is estimated.
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