Galaxy S26 Ultra's unique Privacy Display feature explained!

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is Samsung’s most capable phone yet, featuring a more refined design, faster performance, improved camera quality, and quicker charging. However, Privacy Display stands out as its most exciting feature and is likely the one users will appreciate every single day.

So, what is Privacy Display, and how does it work?

Samsung has consistently introduced groundbreaking display innovations with its Galaxy S phones, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra is no exception. It uses a new OLED panel developed by Samsung Display. The panel features a hardware technology called Flex Magic Pixel, which consists of two types of pixels: Narrow and Wide. These pixels differ in how they disperse light.

When Privacy Display is turned off, both types of pixels are fully active, dispersing light in all directions so that content on the screen is clearly visible from wide viewing angles.

When Privacy Display is turned on, the Narrow pixels remain active while the Wide pixels operate at a minimal level. This significantly limits side-angle visibility. The content on the screen remains clearly visible to the user holding the phone, but it becomes difficult to see for anyone viewing the display from an angle. This can be especially useful when you are handling sensitive information that you do not want others to see.

Since Privacy Display relies on dedicated hardware, you can activate or deactivate it at any time. For example, when entering a password or PIN, or when using sensitive applications such as online banking apps, you can enable Privacy Display to prevent people nearby from viewing confidential information.

You can turn on Privacy Display manually using a Quick Settings toggle in the Quick Panel or set it to activate automatically when using specific apps, such as banking apps. You can also configure it to hide notification pop-ups so that only you can see incoming alerts.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra also includes a Maximum Privacy Protection setting that further reduces side visibility.

This feature works in both landscape and portrait orientations. More importantly, it does not affect brightness, colors, or image quality for the user.