The Galaxy S26 appears to have an additional NFC antenna that will let me fly in and out of stores
What you need to know
- The report says that Samsung has used a second NFC antenna in its Galaxy S26 series, which works to help improve the experience of contactless payments.
- The publication did its own testing, realizing that the process will end even if you hit its upper limit.
- Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra was in the spotlight during MWC 2026, as the company showed off its brilliant camera and privacy display.
There are reports coming in about previously unknown improvements to the Galaxy S26 that could make a difference at launch.
The folks at SamMobile report that Samsung has equipped the Galaxy S26 series with an additional NFC antenna. Reportedly, the latest Galaxy S series has kept its usual NFC antenna on its rear panel, near the center. However, this new addition appears to be positioned at the very top of the Galaxy S26 series. In fact, the publication says it was able to make a payment by “tapping the edge of the phone to the payment terminal.”
The post adds that this was done with the Galaxy S26 Ultra, although it seems that every model in the S26 series should offer the same experience. What’s possible here is that Samsung placed the second antenna higher, somewhere on the top of the phone, not on the edge.
The good thing here is that, according to the published tests, it seems that the antenna will still take your step to complete NFC payments, even if it is on the edge. Users should be more aware of this, as they can use the top or middle-bottom to complete NFC purchases.
There were rumors
There were rumors that Samsung might have been working on improving the NFC experience of the Galaxy S26. Reports about this surfaced last August, claiming that Samsung was interested in adding an NFC sensor to the phone. A working theory was that Samsung felt inspired to step up its touchscreen game after seeing how successful Apple was at that.
In addition, Samsung’s Galaxy holds a frustratingly high failure rate when it comes to NFC payments. User feedback has been another encouraging factor in this regard. The company is said to have been working on another sensor to reduce the “awkward hand movements” users would have to make to get their payment without a contact passing through a scanner. All that aside, Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra was at MWC 2026 this week, highlighting its bright 200MP camera and privacy display.
Android Central Take
There can be a little confusion when it comes to the NFC antenna of Galaxy phones. The positioning, which Samsung seems to have realized after a wave of user feedback, was the main reason. At least in pairs, users have more freedom to make their payments without much struggle. I, for one, as this has been done. I remember those old rumors that were not sure if Samsung would make it for the S26 or the next series. Hopefully, this continues.
