Samsung has unveiled a new privacy display feature on its latest Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra smartphone, enabling users to control off-angle visibility with a simple button press rather than relying on external screen protectors. The technology works by utilizing two different sets of pixels in the display: one set directs the image directly to the viewer (narrow pixel), while the other scatters light to the sides for broader viewing angles (wide pixel). By deactivating the wide pixels, the screen appears unchanged to the user but significantly dimmer from side angles, with an option to further reduce contrast for side viewers, making on-screen content less legible.
The system includes customization features, allowing users to selectively obscure specific elements like pop-up notifications or set the privacy mode to activate automatically when accessing a PIN or specific apps. Users can also link the feature to routines to enable automatic activation based on location.
Apart from the privacy display feature, the Samsung S26 Ultra showcases minor hardware enhancements. The device is slimmer and lighter than its predecessor, measuring 7.9mm in thickness and weighing 214 grams, compared to the previous 8.2mm thickness and 218 grams weight. Samsung has switched back to an aluminum frame from titanium, aligning the design more closely with the S26 series and moving away from the angular design seen in earlier Note models. The phone does not have built-in magnets but includes them in the official cases.
The camera setup has also been upgraded, with the 200-megapixel main camera now featuring a wider f/1.4 aperture (previously f/1.7), while the 50-megapixel 5x telephoto lens has moved from f/3.4 to f/2.9. The brighter lenses aim to enhance low-light performance by allowing more light to reach the sensor.
All variants of the Samsung S26 Ultra will come equipped with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset globally, tailored for Samsung. The starting price remains unchanged at $1,299 for the 256 GB storage model with 12 GB of RAM, consistent with pricing from the previous year.