NFC Phones roundup

It has been an active few weeks of NFC Phones announced with even more rumors, and it is easy to forget what NFC smartphones we may actually have coming our way. Just a little over a month ago, the only NFC Phones that were actually for sale were the Google Nexus S in the US and the Samsung Tocco in the UK. Since then, we have seen the Nokia C7 / Astound released and we also learned it doesn’t have a secure element. So let’s look at the 14 NFC Phones that are available or could come our way in the not so distant future.

NFC Phones available today

The pickings are still slim for NFC phones that are available today, but the list is growing.

Google Nexus S

At this point, the Google Nexus S is the grandaddy of all NFC Phones. It was the first NFC smartphone to market and is available on more than one carrier in the United States. Google has brought NFC to the limelight and it did it with its Nexus S. This phone is still the top of the food chain in NFC Phones today.

Nokia C7 (Astound)

The C7 is available on T-Mobile in the US and you can find deals where you get paid to take one home with a two year contract. It doesn’t have a secure element, so bear in mind >without an NFC SIM or microSD card there will be no mobile wallet if you own this phone. Take a look at our writeup on this well featured NFC smartphone.

Samsung Tocco

The UK got stuck with the Android Samsung Tocco as the first in its line of NFC Phones. It is available on Orange and does play nice with the Barclaycard Quick Tap app. Its specifications aren’t really anything to write home about but if just want an NFC Phone that you can make payments with, the Tocco may be for you. It is cost effective and it works. Check out our Samsung Tocco post.

Smartphone manufacturers are slowly coming forward and announcing their NFC Phones. Some are pretty new on the list, whereas others have been known about for some time.

Blackberry Bold 9900 & 9930

We see Blackberry’s like we see cat people. You are either a Blackberry type of person or you are not. The UK now has a release date of the 15th of September for the long awaited device, or October 15th if you want the blanc version. Either way, both colors of these pair of  NFC Phones are well specified and will no doubt make the Crackberry lover in your life very happy indeed. Want to know more about the Blackberry Bold 9900 series? Check out our post.

Huawei Sonic U8650NFC

Chinese manufacturer Huawei sneaked out a sub $200 NFC Phone. The Android phone has modest specs and we still don’t know whether it contains a secure element, but at the end of the day it is a sub $200 NFC smartphone. It is expected to be launched in India and Australia initially, but no firm date as yet. Check out our Sonic post.

LG T530

Most of the NFC Phones we see are smartphones. There is, however, a market for feature phones and that’s where the  LG T530 comes in. Due to launch sometime this month on France Telecom (Orange) the little LG phone still has some tricks up its sleeve. Find out more here.

Nokia N9

We can’t wait to get some hands on time with the N9. Atheistically pleasing and boasting some powerful hardware inside, the Nokia is the first of the MeeGo NFC Phones we have seen and it has set the standard for all others to follow. Our only niggle is that the N9 does not have a secure element but we can look past that for such a lovely little phone. See it up close here.

Samsung Wave 578

This little charmer is set to hit France Telecom (Orange) this month. It runs Samsung’s mini OS and will probably compete with other reasonably cheap NFC Phones. Find out more here.

There are plenty of NFC Phones rumored and more are being added to the list on a daily basis. Some have modest specifications and some are beasts. Here’s what we have heard so far.

Apple iPhone 5

If this phone is shipped with NFC it will not only sell like hotcakes but will redefine the NFC market place. Apple has filed a lot of patents for NFC and its uses in an iPhone and possibly iPad product. If the iPhone 5 has NFC it will not likely be the highest specified of the NFC Phones, but make no mistake it will be king. See the rumors here.

Google Nexus Prime

As NFC Phones go, the Google Nexus Prime will only have one competitor in specifications, which will be its brother the Samsung Hercules. This beast is worthy of the Nexus badge. Find out why here.

Nokia Cindy

We have seen a couple of rumored NFC Phones that could due to come out from Nokia in the not too distant future. The Cindy is one of those. Details are scant at the moment, but check out what we do know here.

Nokia Zeta

Out of the two Nokia NFC Phones recently leaked, the Zeta is the one for grown ups. Just like its sister, the Cindy, details are a wee bit thin on the ground at the moment but we do have some specifications here.

Samsung Galaxy S II GT-i9101

The Brits got this NFC superphone in June. The Koreans had it before then and the Canadians are getting ready to have the Samsung Galaxy S II any day. If it doesn’t hurry up, it will be out of date and aged before it launches in the US. However, what only the Koreans have seen so far is the NFC version of this sexy superphone. As NFC Phones go the Samsung Galaxy S II is top draw in every way. We think we may have seen a spy shot of this phone and if you want to learn more, try here.

Samsung Hercules

The Samsung Hercules lives up to its name if the rumors are true. It has demigod specifications and perhaps out of all the rumored NFC Phones coming down the pipes, the Hercules will share the stage with just a couple of other superphones. Check out those obscene specs here.

So there you have it – the list of first NFC Phones we are likely to see. Some NFC Phones did trailblaze a path for these usual suspects but are really to old for us to mention now. We will bring you updated lists in the future and hope you find it handy to see all the NFC Phones we may be seeing, in one place.