Does a low-SAR phone matter?

Question

What is SAR, and should I choose a phone with a lower SAR value?

Answer

SAR is the RF power absorbed per kilogram of tissue, measured in a phantom with the phone transmitting at maximum power — a worst-case compliance figure, not a description of normal use. Every phone legally sold is already below its limit (1.6 W/kg over 1 g in the U.S., 2 W/kg over 10 g under ICNIRP, and the two numbers are not comparable), so differences between compliant models are small relative to the difference made by how you use the phone. Using speakerphone or wired earphones, and calling where signal is strong, reduces actual absorbed energy far more than picking a model with a lower rated SAR.

Related records

• Smartphone (cellular uplink)

  Handsets transmit up to about 200 mW (23 dBm) on cellular uplink and are used against the head, so exposure is governed by SAR — 1.6 W/kg over 1 g in the U.S., 2 W/kg over 10 g under ICNIRP — not by power density.

  Sources & emitters

• Looking up a phone's SAR from the primary record

  How to get the tested SAR for a specific handset from the FCC equipment authorization database using the device's FCC ID, instead of relying on third-party lists.

  Measurement protocols

• SAR (specific absorption rate)

  Watts absorbed per kilogram of tissue, the dosimetric basis of phone compliance testing — 1.6 W/kg over 1 g in the U.S., 2 W/kg over 10 g under ICNIRP.

  Glossary

Sources

1. fcc-2-1093 47 CFR § 2.1093 — Radiofrequency radiation exposure evaluation: portable devices — U.S. Government Publishing Office (eCFR). regulation, link checked 2026-08-12.
2. icnirp-2020 Guidelines for Limiting Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields (100 kHz to 300 GHz) — International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, 2020. guideline, link checked 2026-08-12.
3. fcc-eas Equipment Authorization Search (FCC ID lookup, includes SAR test reports) — Federal Communications Commission. government, link checked 2026-08-12.