Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus: SAR comparison

The Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus lists the lower head sar, cellular only (us): 0.36 W/kg vs 0.65 W/kg for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus (45% 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 S21 Plus details Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus details

Side-by-side SAR values

Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus reported SAR and specs
Measurement	Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus	Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
Head SAR, cellular only (US)	0.65 W/kg	0.36 W/kg
Body SAR, cellular only (US)	0.95 W/kg	0.79 W/kg
Head SAR, Wi-Fi + cellular (US)	1.56 W/kg	1.14 W/kg
Body SAR, Wi-Fi + cellular (US)	1.55 W/kg	1.48 W/kg
Hotspot SAR, cellular only (US)	1.04 W/kg	n/a
Hotspot SAR, Wi-Fi + cellular (US)	1.59 W/kg	1.04 W/kg
Head SAR (EU, 10 g)	0.54 W/kg	0.27 W/kg
Body SAR (EU, 10 g)	1.33 W/kg	1.00 W/kg
Display: Type	Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1300 nits (peak)	Super AMOLED, HDR10
Display: Size	6.7 inches, 107.8 cm2 (~88.3% screen-to-body ratio)	6.2 inches, 98.3 cm2 (~84.2% screen-to-body ratio)
Display: Resolution	1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~394 ppi density)	1440 x 2960 pixels, 18.5:9 ratio (~529 ppi density)
Display: Protection	Corning Gorilla Glass Victus	Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Hardware: Operating System	Android 11, One UI 3.1	Android 8.0 (Oreo), upgradable to Android 10, One UI 2.5
Hardware: Chipset	Exynos 2100 (5 nm) - InternationalQualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) - USA/China	Exynos 9810 (10 nm) - EMEAQualcomm SDM845 Snapdragon 845 (10 nm) - USA/LATAM, China
Hardware: CPU	Octa-core (1x2.9 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.80 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x2.2 GHz Cortex-A55) - InternationalOcta-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 680 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 680 & 4x1.80 GHz Kryo 680) - USA/China	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-G78 MP14 - InternationalAdreno 660 - USA/China	Mali-G72 MP18 - EMEAAdreno 630 - USA/LATAM, China
Battery: Type	Li-Ion 4800 mAh, non-removable	Li-Ion 3500 mAh, non-removable (13.48 Wh)
Battery: Battery Test	Endurance rating 114h	Endurance rating 86h
Battery: Charging	Fast charging 25W USB Power Delivery 3.0 Fast Qi/PMA wireless charging 15W Reverse wireless charging 4.5W	15W wired, QC2 Wireless (Qi/PMA) (market dependent)
Design: Type	Bar	Bar
Design: Dimensions	161.5 x 75.6 x 7.8 mm (6.36 x 2.98 x 0.31 in)	158.1 x 73.8 x 8.5 mm (6.22 x 2.91 x 0.33 in)
Design: Weight	200 g (Sub6), 202 g (mmWave) (7.05 oz)	189 g (6.67 oz)
Design: Colors	Phantom Black, Phantom Silver, Phantom Violet, Phantom Pink, Phantom Gold, Phantom 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 S21 Plus or the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus?

The Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus lists the lower head sar, cellular only (us): 0.36 W/kg vs 0.65 W/kg for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus (45% 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 S21 Plus or the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus?

The Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus lists the lower body sar, cellular only (us): 0.79 W/kg vs 0.95 W/kg for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus (17% 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 S21 Plus or the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus?

The Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus lists the lower hotspot sar, wi-fi + cellular (us): 1.04 W/kg vs 1.59 W/kg for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus (35% 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 S21 Plus's highest listed value is 1.59 W/kg and the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus's is 1.48 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 A3LSMG996U and A3LSMG965U). Nothing on this page is estimated.

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