A new report citing industry sources claims that Samsung is aiming to fix an annoying contactless payment issue with its next iteration of its premium phones, the Galaxy S26 lineup.
Right now, Samsung's flagship phones have their NFC antenna coil in the upper central area of the back panel, around the right of the camera module (or just below). Unfortunately, this design can make contactless payments tricky, as most people may not be aware of where the NFC antenna coil exactly is.
Well, it seems that the South Korea-based tech giant is aiming to put an end to that annoyance with the Galaxy S26 phones, expected to come early next year.
The report, coming from South Korea, cites "multiple industry sources" that indicate Samsung may have the NFC antenna positioned at the top of the Galaxy S26. This small tweak should make contactless payments easier and ensure users don't have to hold the phone strangely on the NFC reader for the payment to go through.
As you can imagine, the different placement of the NFC antenna can also lead to payments failing on the first attempt, which could frankly be super annoying (especially if there's a line of people behind you in the store or something).
This approach is different from what Samsung's main competitor, Apple, is doing. iPhone users can tap the top half of their phone on the machine, and the payment goes through without issues, and a specific position is not required.
According to the report, Samsung is not looking to change where the NFC coil is located in the phone. Apparently, the company may just add a new NFC antenna, so there would be a better contactless payment experience.
Samsung is not the only Android phone maker that's done this; actually, many Android phones come with a dual-NFC antenna design to work around the issue.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra has the NFC coil sitting slightly higher, while the Galaxy S25 Ultra's is positioned noticeably lower. That may confuse many people who come from the S24 Ultra to the S25 Ultra on how they should position their phones for a contactless payment.
Galaxy S25 Ultra. | Image Credit - PhoneArena
Meanwhile, it's worse if you come from a Galaxy S23 Ultra, as the NFC coil is positioned in the middle of the rear, alongside the wireless charging coil. Obviously, these differences in the design may make some Samsung fans struggle to nail the position of the NFC coil for contactless payment. Unfortunately, you may also need to hold your phone at an odd angle against the terminal.
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How's your experience with contactless payments on your phone?
Works like magic every time
54.55%
Occasionally annoying
27.27%
Hit or miss depending on the terminal
18.18%
I gave up and use my card
0%
Apparently, it did take Samsung a very long time to consider making this change. And this could be because of... well, Apple. According to the report by the Korean outlet, citing an industry official, Apple is holding several patents related to this. And yep, this forces Samsung (and others) to have to find another way to achieve the same thing without infringing on Apple's patents.
Right now, it's quite early to be certain about what the Galaxy S26 Ultra's (or other phones from the lineup) final designs would be. So, there's still a possibility that Samsung may decide against putting the additional NFC antenna on the top. At the moment, it's not clear. However, if Samsung decides to add it, it would dramatically improve this basic and yet very popular way to pay.
I personally think this is a long-overdue fix. Contactless payments are supposed to be quick and easy, but when you have to wiggle your phone around just to get it to work, it kind of defeats the point. If Samsung really does add a second NFC antenna on top, it'll make things smoother and way less awkward – especially in those moments when there’s a line behind you. Hopefully, it goes through with it.
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Izzy, a tech enthusiast and a key part of the PhoneArena team, specializes in delivering the latest mobile tech news and finding the best tech deals. Her interests extend to cybersecurity, phone design innovations, and camera capabilities. Outside her professional life, Izzy, a literature master's degree holder, enjoys reading, painting, and learning languages. She's also a personal growth advocate, believing in the power of experience and gratitude. Whether it's walking her Chihuahua or singing her heart out, Izzy embraces life with passion and curiosity.
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