What’s happened: A fresh report from Korea claims the Samsung Galaxy S26 – the next flagship smartphone we expect Samsung to launch – will arrive with enhanced NFC connectivity for improved contactless payments.
- According to South Korean outlet ETNews (via SamMobile), Samsung could include a dedicated NFC antenna in its Galaxy S26 series handsets, alongside the NFC coil which it currently uses in its phones.
- Samsung will apparently place the antenna on the top edge of the S26, with the NFC coil in its traditional position on the rear.
- Having the antenna on the top edge should make it easier to tap-and-pay at contactless payment checkouts, something which iPhone users already enjoy.
This is important because: As manufacturers continue to try and find ways to tempt customers to their brand, there’s a need to offer feature parity with rivals, as part of making a potential switch even easier.
- The current Samsung Galaxy S25 series only have an NFC coil on the rear, meaning you need to line up your phone closely with contactless PoS (point of sale) machines for Google Pay or Samsung Pay to work.
- With Samsung potentially checking off another point of difference between its phones and Apple’s, it might be able to tempt more iPhone users to switch.
Why should I care? While the addition of an NFC antenna might not seem like major news, it’s these small quality of life upgrades which can make all the difference when it comes to your day-to-day satisfaction with your tech.
- To borrow the iconic Steve Jobs line, “it just works” has never been more necessary than in today’s world. People want their technology to work seamlessly every time.
- Whenever tap-to-pay requires you to juggle your phone around in your hand so the payment terminal registers your contactless card, frustration with your device builds.
- This isn’t an experience many Apple users have, as recent iPhones already have an NFC antenna for faster, easier contactless payments – Samsung would be playing catch-up.
Okay, what’s next? This is a very early Galaxy S26 rumor, as we don’t expect Samsung’s next flagship smartphone series to launch until January 2026 at the earliest. The S25 series arrived in January this year. There’s at least five months between now and a possible S26 introduction, and a lot can change in that time, so take this report with a pinch of salt.
- Samsung will be keeping a close eye on phone launches from rival companies between now and then, with the Google Pixel 10 series set to arrive on August 20.
- And then in September we fully expect Apple to introduce us to the iPhone 17 series, including the much-rumored iPhone 17 Air which is tipped to compete directly with the Galaxy S25 Edge.
