Galaxy S26 could get a hardware upgrade for much easier payments
TL;DR Samsung is apparently thinking about adding an additional NFC antenna to the top of the Galaxy S26 series.
This should make it more convenient to use tap-to-pay, as you can do so via the rear or top of the phone.
The Galaxy S26 rumors are trickling in at a steady pace, even though the expected launch window is roughly six months away. The latest leak has revealed that Samsung could significantly improve NFC payments like Samsung Pay or Google Wallet.
ET News reports (spotted by SamMobile) that Samsung is thinking about adding an additional NFC antenna to the top of the Galaxy S26 series phones, citing multiple sources.
'The design is centered around retaining the existing NFC coil location and adding a new NFC antenna,' one of the sources was quoted as saying. Another source said Apple holds many NFC-related patents, so it took Samsung a while to 'technically circumvent them.'
For what it's worth, the Galaxy S25 series offers an NFC coil on the back panel, to the right of the rear cameras. That means users generally have to tap their phones in this area to make a payment. The NFC locations are shown below.
The additional NFC antenna on top of the phone could be a major improvement, especially in scenarios where the placement of the reader makes it easier to tap from the top of the device. For example, some vendors hold portable payment terminals or card readers at angles where tapping from the top of the phone feels more natural. This placement could also be useful when tapping to pay on fixed machines like parking meters or kiosks, where tapping from the top is often more intuitive.
This wouldn't be the first time we've seen improved NFC tapping on Android, either. Realme previously launched so-called 360-degree NFC tech on its phones, although this seems to only apply to the top of its devices. Nevertheless, we hope Samsung adopts an additional coil as it could make life easier for plenty of users.
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