Samsung confirms Galaxy S26's insane 'pixel level' privacy feature

Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy S26 series will introduce a new display feature designed to improve privacy when using your phone in public.

The company stopped short of directly calling it a “privacy display,” but its wording leaves little room for doubt. In a new press release, Samsung talks about “privacy at a pixel level” and protecting users from shoulder surfing, which clearly points to a display technology that limits what others can see on your screen.

The idea behind a privacy display is simple. The screen remains clear when viewed straight on, but becomes harder to read when seen from the side. This lines up with earlier leaks, including an animation found in Samsung’s One UI 8.5 beta that shows the display darkening as the phone is tilted left or right.

Samsung’s mention of pixel-level privacy also suggests this isn’t just a software trick. It points to dedicated display hardware, possibly the Flex Magic Pixel OLED technology Samsung showcased at Mobile World Congress in 2025. That would explain why this feature has been years in development and why it’s being introduced on new hardware rather than existing devices.

Early leaks suggested that Samsung uses AI to help manage how the privacy display works. However, Samsung’s teaser doesn’t mention AI at all, so that part remains unconfirmed for now.

What Samsung has confirmed is that the feature will be highly customizable. Users will be able to choose which apps automatically trigger the privacy display. It can also activate when entering passwords or typing into sensitive fields. Visibility levels will be adjustable as well, allowing users to control how much the screen darkens based on viewing angle.

Samsung is positioning this feature as part of its wider security ecosystem, alongside Knox and Knox Vault. Because it works at the hardware level, it should be more reliable than privacy features that rely only on software.

That also means the privacy display won’t be coming to older Galaxy devices through a software update.

It’s still unclear whether this feature will be available across the entire Galaxy S26 lineup or just the Ultra. Samsung is expected to officially unveil the Galaxy S26 series in late February, likely on February 25, and those details should become clear then.