Apple iPhone 17 vs Samsung Galaxy S24: SAR comparison

The Apple iPhone 17 lists the lower head sar, cellular only (us): 1.19 W/kg vs 1.23 W/kg for the Samsung Galaxy S24 (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 17 details Samsung Galaxy S24 details

Side-by-side SAR values

Apple iPhone 17 vs Samsung Galaxy S24 reported SAR and specs
Measurement	Apple iPhone 17	Samsung Galaxy S24
Head SAR, cellular only (US)	1.19 W/kg	1.23 W/kg
Body SAR, cellular only (US)	1.16 W/kg	1.14 W/kg
Head SAR, Wi-Fi + cellular (US)	1.53 W/kg	1.57 W/kg
Body SAR, Wi-Fi + cellular (US)	1.54 W/kg	1.58 W/kg
Hotspot SAR, cellular only (US)	1.19 W/kg	3.08 W/kg
Hotspot SAR, Wi-Fi + cellular (US)	1.54 W/kg	3.10 W/kg
Display: Type	LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, 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 (~90.1% screen-to-body ratio)	6.2 inches, 94.4 cm2 (~90.9% screen-to-body ratio)
Display: Resolution	1206 x 2622 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density)	1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~416 ppi density)
Display: Protection	Ceramic Shield 2, Mohs level 5	Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
Hardware: Operating System	iOS 26	Android 14, One UI 6.1
Hardware: Chipset	Apple A19 (3 nm)	Qualcomm SM8650-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4 nm) - USA/Canada/ChinaExynos 2400 (4 nm) - International
Hardware: CPU	Hexa-core (2x4.26 GHz + 4xX.X GHz)	8-core (1x3.39GHz Cortex-X4 & 3x3.1GHz Cortex-A720 & 2x2.9GHz Cortex-A720 & 2x2.2GHz Cortex-A520)10-core (1x3.2GHz Cortex-X4 & 2x2.9GHz Cortex-A720 & 3x2.6GHz Cortex-A720 & 4x1.95GHz Cortex-A520)
Hardware: GPU	Apple GPU (5-core graphics)	Adreno 750 (1 GHz) - USA/Canada/ChinaXclipse 940 - International
Battery: Type	Li-Ion 3692 mAh	Li-Ion 4000 mAh, non-removable
Battery: Charging	Wired, PD3.2, AVS, 50% in 20 min 25W wireless MagSafe/Qi2, 50% in 30 min (15W - China) 4.5W reverse wired	25W wired, PD3.0, 50% in 30 min (advertised) 15W wireless (Qi/PMA) 4.5W reverse wireless
Design: Type	Bar	Bar
Design: Dimensions	149.6 x 71.5 x 8 mm (5.89 x 2.81 x 0.31 in)	147 x 70.6 x 7.6 mm (5.79 x 2.78 x 0.30 in)
Design: Weight	177 g (6.24 oz)	167 g or 168 g (5.89 oz)
Design: Colors	Black, White, Mist Blue, Sage, Lavender	Onyx Black, Marble Grey, Cobalt Violet, Amber Yellow, Jade Green, Sandstone Orange, Sapphire Blue

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 or the Samsung Galaxy S24?

The Apple iPhone 17 lists the lower head sar, cellular only (us): 1.19 W/kg vs 1.23 W/kg for the Samsung Galaxy S24 (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 17 or the Samsung Galaxy S24?

The Samsung Galaxy S24 lists the lower body sar, cellular only (us): 1.14 W/kg vs 1.16 W/kg for the Apple iPhone 17 (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.

Which has lower hotspot SAR (Wi-Fi + cellular), the Apple iPhone 17 or the Samsung Galaxy S24?

The Apple iPhone 17 lists the lower hotspot sar, wi-fi + cellular (us): 1.54 W/kg vs 3.10 W/kg for the Samsung Galaxy S24 (50% 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's highest listed value is 1.54 W/kg and the Samsung Galaxy S24's is 3.10 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-E8947A and A3LSMS921U). 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.