Galaxy S26 reportedly puts an NFC antenna in the top of the phone, perfect for payments

Ben Schoon | Aug 4 2025 - 6:50 am PT

Samsung’s Galaxy S26 is reportedly making a hardware change to the benefit of mobile payments, with a second NFC antenna reportedly being added to the top of the device.

As it stands today, most Android phones have their NFC antennas roughly halfway down the device. This generally works well enough, but it can lead to occasions where trying to tap your phone for a payment doesn’t work until you move it around. Anecdotally, it’s also a pain for using your phone as an NFC reader for in-person payments through apps like Square, as it’s a lottery trying to get the scan going unless you know exactly where the NFC antenna lines up.

Samsung, with its Galaxy S26 series, is apparently looking to clear up NFC confusion by looking into Apple’s playbook.

ETNews reports that Samsung is adding a second NFC antenna to the Galaxy S26 series which is placed at the top of the device. This would be in addition to the existing antenna which, on the Galaxy S25 series, is found near the camera lenses. The report says (translated):

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Samsung Electronics’ next-generation smartphone, the Galaxy S26 series, scheduled for release in the first half of next year, will reportedly feature a design that adds Near Field Communication (NFC) recognition to the top of the device. While retaining the existing NFC coil next to the rear camera, a new NFC antenna will likely be added to the top of the device to improve user convenience.

As mentioned, Apple has implemented this in iPhones for some time, but most Android phones have not. Apparently, that may be due to patents, with Samsung taking “a considerable amount of time to technically circumvent them.”

The Galaxy S26 series is set to launch early next year, likely in January.

This news comes not long after an update to the NFC standard increased the transmission distance, specifically with mobile payments in mind.