Samsung Galaxy S20 vs Google Pixel 5: SAR comparison

The Samsung Galaxy S20 lists the lower head sar, cellular only (us): 1.07 W/kg vs 1.16 W/kg for the Google Pixel 5 (8% lower). Reported SAR values in W/kg; lower is shaded green and higher red within each row, for comparison only.

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Side-by-side SAR values

Samsung Galaxy S20 vs Google Pixel 5 reported SAR and specs
Measurement	Samsung Galaxy S20	Google Pixel 5
Head SAR, cellular only (US)	1.07 W/kg	1.16 W/kg
Body SAR, cellular only (US)	1.03 W/kg	1.18 W/kg
Head SAR, Wi-Fi + cellular (US)	1.59 W/kg	0.98 W/kg
Body SAR, Wi-Fi + cellular (US)	1.58 W/kg	1.49 W/kg
Hotspot SAR, cellular only (US)	1.25 W/kg	0.98 W/kg
Hotspot SAR, Wi-Fi + cellular (US)	1.59 W/kg	1.58 W/kg
Display: Type	Dynamic AMOLED 2X capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors	OLED, 90Hz, HDR10+
Display: Size	6.2 inches, 93.8 cm2 (~89.5% screen-to-body ratio)	6.0 inches, 87.6 cm2 (~85.9% screen-to-body ratio)
Display: Resolution	1440 x 3200 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~563 ppi density)	1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~432 ppi density)
Display: Protection	Corning Gorilla Glass 6	Corning Gorilla Glass 6
Hardware: Operating System	Android 10.0; One UI 2	Android 11
Hardware: Chipset	Exynos 990 (7 nm+) - GlobalQualcomm SM8250 Snapdragon 865 (7 nm+) - USA	Qualcomm SM7250 Snapdragon 765G 5G (7 nm)
Hardware: CPU	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	Octa-core (1x2.4 GHz Kryo 475 Prime & 1x2.2 GHz Kryo 475 Gold & 6x1.8 GHz Kryo 475 Silver)
Hardware: GPU	Mali-G77 MP11 - GlobalAdreno 650 - USA	Adreno 620
Battery: Charging	Fast battery charging 25W USB Power Delivery 3.0 Fast Qi/PMA wireless charging 15W Power bank/Reverse wireless charging 9W	USB Power Delivery 2.0 Fast charging 18W Wireless charging 12W Reverse charging 5W
Battery: Type	—	Li-Po 4080 mAh, non-removable
Battery: Battery Test	—	Endurance rating 95h
Design: Type	Bar	Bar
Design: Dimensions	151.7 x 69.1 x 7.9 mm (5.97 x 2.72 x 0.31 in)	144.7 x 70.4 x 8 mm (5.70 x 2.77 x 0.31 in)
Design: Weight	163 g (5.75 oz)	151 g (5.33 oz)
Design: Colors	Cosmic Grey, Cloud Blue, Cloud Pink, Cloud White, Aura Red	Just Black, Sorta Sage

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 Samsung Galaxy S20 or the Google Pixel 5?

The Samsung Galaxy S20 lists the lower head sar, cellular only (us): 1.07 W/kg vs 1.16 W/kg for the Google Pixel 5 (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 Samsung Galaxy S20 or the Google Pixel 5?

The Samsung Galaxy S20 lists the lower body sar, cellular only (us): 1.03 W/kg vs 1.18 W/kg for the Google Pixel 5 (13% 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 Samsung Galaxy S20 or the Google Pixel 5?

The Google Pixel 5 lists the lower hotspot sar, wi-fi + cellular (us): 1.58 W/kg vs 1.59 W/kg for the Samsung Galaxy S20 (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 Samsung Galaxy S20's highest listed value is 1.59 W/kg and the Google Pixel 5'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 A3LSMG981U and A4RGD1YQ). Nothing on this page is estimated.

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