- Galaxy S26 is joined to get an NFC upgrade
- This would make mobile payments more straightforward
- We were to see the Galaxy S26 telephones sometime in January 2026
We are probably some five months away from the launch of the Galaxy S26 series if Samsung sticks to its usual schedule in 2026, and the latest leak around these devices relates to a useful upgrade to contactless payments.
According to the South Korean marketing market’s ethnews (via SammoBile), Samsung will improve Near Field Communication (NFC) tech in its next flagships-the protocol, which is personal payments on all modern smartphones.
Samsung plans to add a new NFC antenna right at the top of the phone, the report suggests going with it next to the rear camera. This should mean that when you press paying, there is much less a chance to miss the brand.
It would also put the Galaxy series on par with recent iPhones, including the iPhone 16. Apple’s handset already has this kind of setup in place, and Apple actually owns several patents for the technique that Samsung has only been able to work around.
No connection concerns
This may seem like a rather less upgrade compared to components such as chipset, batteries and cameras, but with contactless payments that are becoming more popular around the world, it will certainly be a welcome improvement.
Mobile payments on the current Samsung phones work fine, most of the time, but the location of the individual NFC antenna can mean that a connection is sometimes not registered -which should no longer be the case with the Galaxy S26.
Of course, this is not official yet until Samsung announces it. Other upgrades we’ve heard the rumor of the Galaxy S26 series includes boost for charging speeds and camera quality, while the EDGE model may be fully replacing the plus model next year.
Samsung recently revealed its latest flagship folding handset, and these can point to stylings and features for the Galaxy S26 – Check out our Galaxy Z Fold 7 Review and Galaxy Z Flip 7 Review for more details about these phones.
