Samsung Galaxy S20 vs Samsung Galaxy S9: SAR comparison

The Samsung Galaxy S9 lists the lower head sar, cellular only (us): 0.35 W/kg vs 1.07 W/kg for the Samsung Galaxy S20 (67% 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 Samsung Galaxy S20 details Samsung Galaxy S9 details

Side-by-side SAR values

Samsung Galaxy S20 vs Samsung Galaxy S9 reported SAR and specs
Measurement	Samsung Galaxy S20	Samsung Galaxy S9
Head SAR, cellular only (US)	1.07 W/kg	0.35 W/kg
Body SAR, cellular only (US)	1.03 W/kg	0.96 W/kg
Head SAR, Wi-Fi + cellular (US)	1.59 W/kg	1.25 W/kg
Body SAR, Wi-Fi + cellular (US)	1.58 W/kg	1.59 W/kg
Hotspot SAR, cellular only (US)	1.25 W/kg	n/a
Hotspot SAR, Wi-Fi + cellular (US)	1.59 W/kg	0.95 W/kg
Head SAR (EU, 10 g)	n/a	0.32 W/kg
Body SAR (EU, 10 g)	n/a	1.27 W/kg
Display: Type	Dynamic AMOLED 2X capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors	Super AMOLED, HDR10
Display: Size	6.2 inches, 93.8 cm2 (~89.5% screen-to-body ratio)	6.2 inches, 98.3 cm2 (~84.2% screen-to-body ratio)
Display: Resolution	1440 x 3200 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~563 ppi density)	1440 x 2960 pixels, 18.5:9 ratio (~529 ppi density)
Display: Protection	Corning Gorilla Glass 6	Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Hardware: Operating System	Android 10.0; One UI 2	Android 8.0 (Oreo), upgradable to Android 10, One UI 2.5
Hardware: Chipset	Exynos 990 (7 nm+) - GlobalQualcomm SM8250 Snapdragon 865 (7 nm+) - USA	Exynos 9810 (10 nm) - EMEAQualcomm SDM845 Snapdragon 845 (10 nm) - USA/LATAM, China
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 (4x2.7 GHz Mongoose M3 & 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A55) - EMEAOcta-core (4x2.8 GHz Kryo 385 Gold & 4x1.7 GHz Kryo 385 Silver) - USA/LATAM, China
Hardware: GPU	Mali-G77 MP11 - GlobalAdreno 650 - USA	Mali-G72 MP18 - EMEAAdreno 630 - USA/LATAM, China
Battery: Charging	Fast battery charging 25W USB Power Delivery 3.0 Fast Qi/PMA wireless charging 15W Power bank/Reverse wireless charging 9W	15W wired, QC2 Wireless (Qi/PMA) (market dependent)
Battery: Type	—	Li-Ion 3500 mAh, non-removable (13.48 Wh)
Battery: Battery Test	—	Endurance rating 86h
Design: Type	Bar	Bar
Design: Dimensions	151.7 x 69.1 x 7.9 mm (5.97 x 2.72 x 0.31 in)	158.1 x 73.8 x 8.5 mm (6.22 x 2.91 x 0.33 in)
Design: Weight	163 g (5.75 oz)	189 g (6.67 oz)
Design: Colors	Cosmic Grey, Cloud Blue, Cloud Pink, Cloud White, Aura Red	Midnight Black, Coral Blue, Titanium Gray, Lilac Purple, Burgundy Red, Sunrise Gold, Ice Blue, Polaris 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 Samsung Galaxy S20 or the Samsung Galaxy S9?

The Samsung Galaxy S9 lists the lower head sar, cellular only (us): 0.35 W/kg vs 1.07 W/kg for the Samsung Galaxy S20 (67% 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 Samsung Galaxy S9?

The Samsung Galaxy S9 lists the lower body sar, cellular only (us): 0.96 W/kg vs 1.03 W/kg for the Samsung Galaxy S20 (7% 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 Samsung Galaxy S9?

The Samsung Galaxy S9 lists the lower hotspot sar, wi-fi + cellular (us): 0.95 W/kg vs 1.59 W/kg for the Samsung Galaxy S20 (40% 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 Samsung Galaxy S9'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 A3LSMG981U and A3LSMG960U). Nothing on this page is estimated.

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