Apple iPhone 17 vs Samsung Galaxy S26 5g: SAR comparison

Both list the same head sar, cellular only (us): 1.19 W/kg. 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 S26 5g details

Side-by-side SAR values

Apple iPhone 17 vs Samsung Galaxy S26 5g reported SAR and specs
Measurement	Apple iPhone 17	Samsung Galaxy S26 5g
Head SAR, cellular only (US)	1.19 W/kg	1.19 W/kg
Body SAR, cellular only (US)	1.16 W/kg	1.20 W/kg
Head SAR, Wi-Fi + cellular (US)	1.53 W/kg	1.58 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	1.19 W/kg
Hotspot SAR, Wi-Fi + cellular (US)	1.54 W/kg	1.58 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)	6.3 inches, 96.5 cm2 (~90.0% 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 (~411 ppi density)
Display: Protection	Ceramic Shield 2, Mohs level 5	Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, Mohs level 5
Hardware: Operating System	iOS 26	Android 16, up to 7 major Android upgrades, One UI 8.5
Hardware: Chipset	Apple A19 (3 nm)	Qualcomm SM8850-AC Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3 nm) - US/CNExynos 2600 (2 nm) - ROW
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) - US/CN10-core (1x3.80GHz C1-Ultra & 3x3.25GHz C1-Pro & 6x2.75GHz C1-Pro) - ROW
Hardware: GPU	Apple GPU (5-core graphics)	Adreno 840 - US/CNXclipse 960 - ROW
Battery: Type	Li-Ion 3692 mAh	Li-Ion 4300 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	25W wired, PD3.0, 55% in 30 min 15W wireless (Qi2 Ready) 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)	149.6 x 71.7 x 7.2 mm (5.89 x 2.82 x 0.28 in)
Design: Weight	177 g (6.24 oz)	167 g (5.89 oz)
Design: Colors	Black, White, Mist Blue, Sage, Lavender	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 or the Samsung Galaxy S26 5g?

Both list the same head 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 body SAR, the Apple iPhone 17 or the Samsung Galaxy S26 5g?

The Apple iPhone 17 lists the lower body sar, cellular only (us): 1.16 W/kg vs 1.20 W/kg for the Samsung Galaxy S26 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.

Which has lower hotspot SAR (Wi-Fi + cellular), the Apple iPhone 17 or the Samsung Galaxy S26 5g?

The Apple iPhone 17 lists the lower hotspot sar, wi-fi + cellular (us): 1.54 W/kg vs 1.58 W/kg for the Samsung Galaxy S26 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 17's highest listed value is 1.54 W/kg and the Samsung Galaxy S26 5g's is 1.58 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 A3LSMS942U). 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.