Samsung shows off Galaxy S26 Ultra privacy display in new teaser video

The panel narrows viewing angles to prevent shoulder surfing

by · TechSpot

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Highly anticipated: Samsung has released a video revealing the previously announced privacy display tech coming to the Galaxy S26 Ultra. The feature is shown blacking out certain parts of the screen, such as notification popups, and blackening the entire display when someone views it from a certain angle.

Rumors that Samsung's next-gen Galaxy S26 Ultra could offer a built-in privacy screen protector have been circulating since last August.

At the end of January, Samsung confirmed the reports by announcing a new layer of privacy to shield your phone from "shoulder surfing."

Now, a couple of teaser clips have appeared showcasing the tech. The first, an official ad playing on YouTube, shows a woman reading what's sounds like a spicy-ish novel on a subway. The guy next to her appears interested, so a zero-peeking privacy toggle is enabled. He'll presumably have to purchase the book himself to find out what happens to Ronaldo.

"Can your phone do that?" the video asks, before showing the February 25 date of the Unpacked event where the Galaxy S26 Series will be the focus.

A different clip, posted to X by leaker Ice Universe, shows the feature's ability to hide certain parts of the screen when viewed at an angle. In this case, it's the popup notification showing part of a message.

Privacy filters are far from new – third-party screen protectors that perform this function have been around for a long time, while HP has Sure View, an integrated, button-activated screen filter that darkens the screen for those viewing from the sides.

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Samsung's take is slightly different. In addition to the advantages of being integrated into the handset, it uses what the company calls a Flex Magic Pixel OLED panel from Samsung Display. This allows viewing angles to be adjusted on a per-pixel basis, so only parts of the screen appear black.

Samsung Display previously said that Flex Magic Pixel can sync with AI to adjust the level of security depending on the open app, so if it recognizes that a banking app is being used in a public place, the security feature will be enabled.

Being a premium feature, Flex Magic will likely be exclusive to the S26 Ultra. The handset is expected to refine the current Ultra formula with a large 6.9-inch display, slimmer bezels, and a thinner chassis while keeping the familiar design.

Samsung's next-gen flagship will likely be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 with up to 16GB RAM, and feature a 200MP main camera alongside upgraded telephoto zoom and a high-resolution ultrawide. Battery capacity should remain around 5,000 mAh, but faster wired charging and improved wireless charging are rumored. Running Android 16 with One UI 8.5, the phone is expected to emphasize AI features, performance gains, and camera improvements rather than a major redesign.