Main Galaxy S26 Ultra upgrade and one surprising downgrade leaked

Only one notable upgrade for the Galaxy S26 Ultra?

The Galaxy S26 Ultra has been widely expected to come with a privacy-focused display feature to prevent onlookers from snooping. However, today's report hints that the feature won't be limited to the Ultra model.

Based on Samsung's Flex Magic Pixel OLED technology, the screen will use AI to adjust the viewing angle of the display to prevent it from being viewed from the side. The display will appear darkened when not viewed head-on, without impacting the brightness for the primary user.

In a move that may surprise some, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is also likely to revert to an aluminum frame, two years after adopting titanium, in an effort to reduce weight. Additionally, charging speed will allegedly jump from 45W to 60W.

The report also echoes earlier rumors that the lineup will be powered by a mix of Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and in-house Exynos 2600 chips, though the Ultra will solely use the former.

What's going to make the Galaxy S26 Ultra stand out?

With the privacy display now likely headed to all models, it remains to be seen which marquee feature Samsung has reserved for the top-shelf model this year. While faster charging speeds are a welcome change, it's more of a long-overdue update than a true innovation.

The return to aluminum might come across as a downgrade, especially since Samsung previously touted titanium's durability. Furthermore, the switch will only trim down the weight from 218 grams to 214 grams, so it appears more like a cost-saving move than a weight reduction strategy.

There's still plenty to look forward to

While the Galaxy S26 Ultra's core specs may remain largely unchanged, seemingly minor changes such as the adoption of LPDDR5X memory, bigger camera apertures, and deeply integrated AI features might be enough to dial up the user experience significantly. With a likely design refresh and a steady price point, at least in the US, consumers may find it easier to overlook a lack of drastic year-over-year changes.