As Samsung gets ready for the upcoming release of the Galaxy S7, the company amped up the hype by announcing that Samsung Pay will reach the UK soon.
The statement was given by the head of Samsung Pay Europe during the European Forum 2016.
"[Samsung Pay is] coming to the UK and Spain very soon this year," Nathalie Oestmann, who is at the helm of the European Samsung Pay service, said.
She went on to add that additional details will be shared at the Mobile World Congress that will take place in Barcelona, Spain, between Feb. 22 and 25.
Apple Pay already has a foothold in the UK, as Apple's mobile payment technology entered the British market in July 2015. If Samsung wants to rival Apple's payment services, it has to step up its game.
One great advantage that Samsung Pay has over Apple Pay is that it is able to use almost any payment card terminal. In comparison, Apple Pay requires a specific terminal for the service to function. Both services can schedule payments to be made at regular intervals.
Currently, Samsung's mobile payment service only works with flagship devices, such as the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge+, the Galaxy S6 Edge, the Galaxy S6 Active and Galaxy Note 5.
We can assume that the next generation of premium smartphones, the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge, will support Samsung Pay, as well.
Just as a reminder, the Galaxy S7 is expected to bring some important changes in design and materials. The rear camera will no longer protrude, leaving the device with a more user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing form. What is more, the aluminum materials will be abandoned and replaced by a magnesium alloy body.
In terms of specs, a few upgrades are packed under the hood of the latest Samsung flagship. If the Galaxy S6 was powered by an Exynos 7420, its successor will have the eight-core Exynos 8890.
Insiders hinted that the Galaxy S7 will sport both two display sizes: a 5.1-inch variant and a 5.5-inch model (some rumors say 5.2- and 5.7-inch screen size). Some reports even claimed that a 4K display is in store for a high-end edition, but it seems that this will only happen in the OEM's homeland.
We certainly hope that the microSD card compatibility found its way into the manufacturing process. Should rumors of a memory expansion comeback prove to be accurate, Samsung could get a strong edge over archrival Apple, which refused to implement such a feature.
It should be noted that only a number of carriers in the United States offer Samsung Pay. The big carriers, namely T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, US Cellular and Sprint offer Samsung Pay on their phones, and there is a buzz that the service seeks to partner with additional carriers to increase its footprint.
What we know for sure is that Samsung Galaxy S7 will be officially released on Feb. 21, so it is very likely that Samsung Pay will enter the UK during the same day.
The UK will be the third national market where Samsung Pay will set its flag, and Spain should follow soon after.
