Apple outpays Samsung at every hardware engineer level; Principal pay hits $763K vs $390K
FinanceYF5 · x · 2026-09-23
Median total compensation for US hardware engineers, Apple vs Samsung (USD, thousands):
- Entry: $165K / $117K
- Mid: $225K / $145K
- Senior: $325K / $205K
- Staff: $465K / $238K
- Principal: $763K / $390K
Apple pays more at every level, with the gap widening to nearly 2x at Principal. Pay structures differ too: Samsung leans on cash and bonuses, while Apple's equity share is much larger — 39% for Staff and 51% for Principal.
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