Galaxy Z Fold 8 may not get Samsung’s most innovative feature in years

We’re getting ever closer to the launch of the wide Galaxy Z Fold 8, the tall Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and the Galaxy Z Flip 8, which are expected at the next Galaxy Unpacked event in late July. While Samsung will face Apple’s foldable iPhone Ultra with these phones, the company is reportedly leaving its best new feature out of the game. 

Samsung’s new foldables won’t get Privacy Display

The best Galaxy S26 Ultra display feature won’t make it to this year’s Samsung foldable phones. Leaker Ice Universe says that the Privacy Display feature won’t be available on the Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra, and Z Flip 8.

The information came as a response to a follower asking about the feature in the context of the new devices’ peak brightness. While the privacy feature won’t be present on any of the new devices, the internal display of the Z Fold 8 Ultra is expected to support up to 3,600 nits peak brightness.

Technological limitations

While the leaker hasn’t given any explanation as to why the foldables may miss such an important feature, the omission shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to Samsung fans. Privacy Display was first introduced on the S26, and it allows users to limit how much of the screen can be seen from the side.

The feature relies on the display having two different types of pixels, with one set of standard pixels emitting light just like on any other phone, and a second type that narrows the emitted light so it can be seen only from the front. Having the two types of pixels allows the feature to work only on certain parts of the display, blocking prying eyes from seeing the sensitive parts of your display.

Considering how difficult it is to manufacture a foldable display already, literally adding another layer of complication could be what Samsung tries to avoid with its new phones. Instead, the company may be focusing on the higher brightness and the smaller crease for its foldable screens, which could be the correct tradeoff for these models.

Initial reactions to the Privacy Display feature were mixed, as many users appreciated the built-in privacy protection option, but lamented the slightly lower image quality on the S26 Ultra display. A few months after its launch, users on Reddit are mostly positive about the feature, saying the image quality is still high enough. The most noticeable difference is the worse viewing angles compared to older models, but the overall impression is that this is a worthwhile tradeoff.

Focused on the brightness

Apparently Samsung still wants to have a major improvement as an obvious selling point for the new foldables. The Z Fold 8 Ultra is rumored to reach 3,600 nits peak brightness, which is not only higher than the S26 Ultra, but also higher than the Galaxy Watch Ultra’s 3,000 nits peak brightness.

How much of an upgrade that would be in practical terms remains to be seen. Even if it falls behind the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s 3,000 nits outdoor peak brightness and the 3,300 nits reached by the Pixel 10 Pro, the S26 Ultra is certainly bright enough. Still, Samsung would certainly enjoy having the bragging rights for winning at one more spec.

Put it on the outside

Honestly, I don’t think adding Privacy Display to the internal screen of a foldable phone makes too much sense. The whole idea of the feature is to protect you from prying eyes, which mostly happens in public places, where you’re probably not unfolding your book-style foldable.

That’s why I’d like to see the Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra getting Privacy Display on the cover screens, and the most detailed and crease-free internal screens possible.

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