Samsung’s North American division has officially confirmed the imminent announcement of a revolutionary new screen technology called Privacy Display by releasing a teaser video. This feature is expected to debut on the flagship Galaxy S26 Ultra, which is set to be unveiled at the Galaxy Unpacked event on February 25 in San Francisco. The technology aims to solve the real-world problem of “shoulder surfing” by making the screen’s content invisible to prying eyes.
How Does Privacy Display Work?
Unlike traditional stick-on films that reduce brightness and can interfere with fingerprint scanners, Privacy Display is a hardware-integrated solution. It is based on Samsung Display’s proprietary Flex Magic Pixel technology, which is built directly into the OLED panel. This system controls the direction of light at the pixel level, sharply narrowing the viewing angles on the user’s command. As a result, a person looking directly at the phone sees a crystal-clear image with no loss of brightness or color accuracy, while for anyone looking from the side, the screen appears almost black.
The feature can be toggled on and off manually through the One UI 8.5 settings and can also be configured to activate automatically when launching specific applications, such as banking clients or messengers. This provides a level of convenience and control unattainable with physical accessories.
Competition and Market Context
The idea of a built-in privacy screen is not entirely new. Laptop manufacturer HP has been offering a similar technology called Sure View, developed in partnership with 3M, in its EliteBook business lines for years. In the smartphone world, however, such a hardware solution is a significant step forward. Until now, users have mainly relied on stick-on screen protectors, which come with a number of compromises. Huawei has also offered a software-based solution that blurs the screen when it detects prying eyes, but Samsung’s hardware-level approach promises to be more reliable and effective.
The introduction of Privacy Display could become one of the key advantages of the Galaxy S26 Ultra over its competitors, as it addresses a real issue of security and privacy in public spaces. In a mature market where innovation often boils down to incremental improvements in cameras and processors, such a practical feature could be a compelling reason to upgrade.
What Else to Expect from the Galaxy S26 Ultra?
Besides the innovative screen, rumors attribute other flagship specifications to the Galaxy S26 Ultra. The smartphone is expected to be equipped with the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, up to 16GB of RAM, and a 200-megapixel main camera with an improved f/1.4 aperture for better low-light photography. A significant increase in charging speed to 60-65W is also reported. All the details about the new generation of Samsung flagships, including the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus, will be revealed at the Unpacked presentation on February 25.
