NFC just got a serious range boost, and your next smartwatch is going to love it

[phillynewsnow]

Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

• The new NFC Release 15 specification increases range from 5mm to up to 2cm, making alignment less critical to initiating a compliant connection.
• This extended range will make NFC connections quicker and more reliable in the future, especially for smaller devices like smart watches and smart rings.
• It also introduces support for the NFC Digital Product Passport (NDPP), allowing phones to serve as payment terminals.

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Unless you’re picking up something in the extreme budget range, most Android phones come with NFC these days. NFC, short for Near Field Communication, is handy for contactless payments and other short-range proximity-based use cases. This short-range is getting an upgrade with the NFC Forum’s latest NFC Release 15 specification.

The highlight of this NFC Release 15 specification is its extended range for certified compliant NFC contactless connections, going from the current 5mm to up to 2cm, which is a 4x increase. This may seem like a tiny change, but this extended range means that NFC chips on devices needn’t be as precisely aligned as they currently need to be. This would allow NFC connections to start sooner, making the process quicker and more reliable, especially on smaller form factor devices like smartwatches and smart rings.



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