Samsung gets the edge with new payments platform, handsets and IKEA partnership announced at MWC

Samsung has unveiled a mobile payments platform that works with both NFC and traditional magstripe terminals, trumping the capability of Apple’s rival service that launched late last year.In a press event at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the company said Samsung Pay will enable “near universal” mobile payments acceptance, covering 30 million retail stores across the world, but the platform is initially only on offer on the latest Samsung handsets.

The payments app will go live with the new Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge, both also launched at the show and set to start shipping worldwide in April, with Samsung Pay at first only available in the US and Korea.

Like previous Samsung payments efforts, Samsung Pay has fingerprint authentication and for added security, like Apple Pay, the service uses tokenization, generating random numbers as a transaction ID instead of transmitting personal card details.

The multicoloured, 5.1-inch S6 and S6 edge, which comes with a mysteriously curved screen, boast the highest pixel density of any new handset, which should mean great video and picture viewing. New chipsets improve both battery performance and memory, a key battleground for winning consumers, but the specs are actually only equivalent to that of the latest iPhone.

A new partnership with IKEA enables Samsung to show off the wireless charging capabilities of its S6 smartphones. Bedside tables, lamps and desks will effectively be turned into device charging spots, hailing a plug-free future for connected consumers. This smart home tech will roll out in Europe and North America next month.