- The Galaxy S26 would be an NFC upgrade
- This would make mobile payments simpler
- We should see Galaxy S26 phones in January 2026
We are probably about five months before the launch of the Galaxy S26 series, if Samsung sticks to its usual calendar in 2026, and the last leak around these devices concerns a useful upgrade of contactless payments.
According to the Sud -Korean store Etnews (via Sambobile), Samsung will improve communication technology in the field (NFC) in its next flagship products – the protocol that feeds payments in person on all modern smartphones.
Samsung plans to add a new NFC antenna at the top of the phone, suggests the report, to accompany the one next to the rear camera. This should mean that when you type to pay, there is much less likely to miss the brand.
It would also put the Galaxy series at the height of recent iPhones, including the iPhone 16. Apple handsets already have this type of configuration in place, and indeed Apple has several patents for technology, which Samsung has just been able to bypass.
No worries
This may seem like a rather minor upgrade compared to components such as chipsets, batteries and cameras, but with increasingly popular contactless payments around the world, this will certainly be a welcome improvement.
Mobile payments on current Samsung phones work well, most of the time, but the positioning of the single NFC antenna can mean that a connection is sometimes not recorded – which should no longer be the case with the Galaxy S26.
Of course, it is not yet official, until Samsung announces it. Other upgrades that we have heard from the rumor for the Galaxy S26 series include increases in load speeds and the quality of the camera, while the EDGE model could fully replace the model Plus next year.
Samsung recently unveiled its latest flagship foldable handsets, and these can indicate the styles and features of the Galaxy S26 – Consult our review Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Revue Galaxy Z Flip 7 for more details on these phones.
