Explained: How Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra privacy screen technology is a game-changer

What if we tell you that you can prevent someone from peeking at your phone screen without the privacy screen protection? While it may sound like an incremental upgrade, but Samsung has delivered something truly impressive with the launch of the Galaxy S26 series. Also, Apple may want to take some notes. 

With the high-end Galaxy S26 Ultra, Samsung has introduced a built-in Privacy Display that is said to be a hardware-driven game-changer. Business Today had the opportunity to experience the privacy screen at the Galaxy Unpacked event 2026, and the results were impressive, as the display went completely black when viewed from a side angle, and remained flawlessly bright when viewed head-on.

Pixel-level privacy, your way

Unlike add-on protectors that dim the resolutions and reduce brightness, it works at the pixel level, which combines wide and narrow pixels to adjust light to hide content from side angles. However, the screen will remain crisp and bright for the person holding the device. Samsung claims that the technology has been in the works for over 5 years, and guess it was worth waiting for smartphone users.

While the hardware is the foundation of Galaxy S26 Ultra’s screen, its software-based customisation is what makes it intriguing. Within the display settings, users can customise the level of privacy. This means they can choose to hide only specific areas, like notification pop-ups, apps or sensitive sections. Apart from selected areas, the rest of the display remains fully visible to those around.

How to use privacy display on the Galaxy S26 Ultra?

Based on what we experienced at the launch event, the privacy screen is not a default feature. Users will have to navigate to the display settings and manually enable the feature for it to work. In addition, users can also choose between a regular dimming level and maximum privacy protection. 

Now, after experiencing the display on the device, Samsung officially eliminated the headaches of installing an additional privacy screen layer that eventually ruins the display quality. Now, Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra users will be able to use their devices freely in public, without the fear of shoulder surfing or any peeking eyes.