# Does a low-SAR phone matter?

> SAR is a worst-case compliance figure; usage habits change real exposure far more than choosing between compliant models. U.S. 1 g and ICNIRP 10 g values are not comparable.

- Canonical URL: https://emfbase.com/questions/what-is-sar-and-does-a-low-sar-phone-matter
- Collection: Direct answers
- Record id: `questions:what-is-sar-and-does-a-low-sar-phone-matter`
- Status: verified
- Last verified: 2026-08-12
- JSON: https://emfbase.com/api/questions/what-is-sar-and-does-a-low-sar-phone-matter
- Also known as: low SAR phone, what does SAR mean, phone SAR safe

## Key values

- **Topic:** devices

## 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)](https://emfbase.com/emitters/smartphone): 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.
- [Looking up a phone's SAR from the primary record](https://emfbase.com/protocols/sar-lookup): 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.
- [SAR (specific absorption rate)](https://emfbase.com/glossary/sar): 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.

## Sources

- `fcc-2-1093` U.S. Government Publishing Office (eCFR). *47 CFR § 2.1093 — Radiofrequency radiation exposure evaluation: portable devices*. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/section-2.1093 — regulation, link checked 2026-08-12
- `icnirp-2020` International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (2020). *Guidelines for Limiting Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields (100 kHz to 300 GHz)*. https://www.icnirp.org/en/publications/article/rf-guidelines-2020.html — guideline, link checked 2026-08-12
- `fcc-eas` Federal Communications Commission. *Equipment Authorization Search (FCC ID lookup, includes SAR test reports)*. https://www.fcc.gov/oet/ea/fccid — government, link checked 2026-08-12

Data licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Dataset version 2026.08.1. Retrieved from EMFBase, https://emfbase.com.

This record is reference data, not medical or legal advice. Regulatory limits, scientific guidelines and precautionary values are labelled separately and answer different questions.