An extended analysis of AT&T’s variant of the Galaxy S II reveals it is rife with NFC. In addition to containing kernel drivers and a pre-installed APK, the system files indicate the device is running in a mode named NDEF (NFC Data Exchange Format). It hasn’t been determined if the handset will be capable of making payments, but the presence of NFC in the Galaxy S II is definitely a good sign.
T-Mobile has released minimal details on its version of the Galaxy S II but FCC filings confirm it will contain NFC as well.
Sprint’s Epic 4G (Galaxy S II) contains no mention of NFC. Does the fact that Sprint was not part of a group that recently invested $100 million in mobile payment technology play a part in this?
While analysis of the Epic 4G did not reveal any information regarding NFC, it did uncover that it’s using the same WiMAX module (cmc732) as the Samsung Nexus S 4G. If you recall, the Nexus S 4G was plagued with performance issues when originally released (though many of those concerns were eventually resolved in a later update). Let’s hope the Epic 4G will come with improved firmware to ensure customers won’t have to go down that path again.
Will NFC support influence your decision one way or another? Let us know in the comments!
[via engadget]