All four of the new iPhones launched on 13 October 2020 come with NFC.
The specs reveal the devices – iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max – have “NFC with reader mode” along with as “ultra wideband chip for spatial awareness,” with the caveat that ultra wideband availability varies by region.
The devices all also support Apple’s Express Cards with Power Reserve feature, which allows transit tickets to be used and payments to be made via NFC even when the phone is off.
A new feature for 2020’s iPhones is MagSafe charging — a Qi wireless charger that attaches magnetically to the back of the phone. Other accessories, such as a leather card wallet, can also snap on magnetically, and an NFC antenna integrated in the phone’s Magsafe hardware can be used to identify such accessories.
iPhone 12 coverage in NFCW
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- BMW adds UWB to digital car keys
- Shinhan Card introduces iPhone case that lets owners use sounds to make contactless mobile payments
- Apple includes NFC in MagSafe accessories for new iPhones
You can find NFCW’s coverage of the Apple iPhone and the evolution of its NFC capability in our iPhone archives.