The greatest Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra feature is perfect for outdoor use
Your Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra will have a display that can work its magic even in the most challenging lighting conditions.
The upcoming Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is said to feature a new privacy display that hasn’t been seen on your everyday flagship models in the past. Now, according to a new report, this new display feature is expected to be even better than anticipated, and a complete game changer for outdoor use.
According to many reports and leaks coming in during recent weeks, Samsung is going to introduce a privacy display for the Galaxy S26 Ultra. This display is something that the company first showed off many years ago in 2018: a display that can hide the contents across the screen from people viewing it at an angle.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra is said to feature this display alongside a multitude of customizable options for it. For example, users will be able to set when the display should activate, like if a banking app is currently open. There are also rumors that you will be able to let Galaxy AI handle the feature, automatically hiding the contents of the screen when someone passes by or glances at the phone.
Of course, the screen won’t be hidden from the user that is looking at the phone head on. Only people peeking at the screen from the sides will be forbidden from seeing what you’re doing. The display will function like those screen protectors that you can apply, which also make it impossible to see the screen unless you’re looking at it straight from the front.
This display, of course, is a better option, because you can turn it off when it’s not needed.
According to a new report from a pretty reliable source, the privacy display on the Galaxy S26 Ultra is able to work under challenging lighting conditions while retaining picture quality.
Even if you use the Galaxy S26 Ultra outdoors, with the brightness set to max, the display is apparently able to hide the contents of the screen perfectly. Even at max brightness, the display is said to be completely invisible when viewed from the sides, and there’s more!
Despite all of this, the screen is also said to be able to retain its image quality. Colors remain accurate, and everything else remains sharp and detailed. So, if you use the S26 Ultra outdoors with the brightness turned all the way up, you can still make it hide the screen from passersby while still looking every bit as gorgeous as you’d expect and want.
This privacy display is far from the only upgrade making its way to the Galaxy S26 Ultra this year. Samsung’s newest flagship phone will come with a wider aperture — hence the return of the rear camera island — which means that it will take much better photos. Low-light photography, in particular, can be expected to see a big leap in clarity and object detail.
However, I think that the privacy display might be the biggest selling point for the Galaxy S26 Ultra by far. The displays on the Ultra models are actually something that Samsung has been nailing for a handful of years now. For example, the anti-reflective coating, that Apple has now also started using with the iPhone 17, was a game changer too when it first came out.
I suspect we’ll be seeing other phone makers adopting similar privacy displays in the near future for their own flagship offerings. Now, if only Samsung would take a leaf out of its competitors’ books too, and adopt silicon-carbon batteries.
What is the Galaxy S26 Ultra privacy display?
According to many reports and leaks coming in during recent weeks, Samsung is going to introduce a privacy display for the Galaxy S26 Ultra. This display is something that the company first showed off many years ago in 2018: a display that can hide the contents across the screen from people viewing it at an angle.
This display, of course, is a better option, because you can turn it off when it’s not needed.
The display works with challenging lighting conditions
If you still don’t have a clear idea of what the private screen on the Galaxy S26 Ultra is, just watch this video. Once you do, you’ll immediately understand why this is easily the most marketable feature of the S26 Ultra. pic.twitter.com/93uTzFAR5Y
— Ice Universe (@UniverseIce) January 15, 2026
Samsung’s privacy display in action, when showed off as a tech demo. | Video credit — Ice Universe
According to a new report from a pretty reliable source, the privacy display on the Galaxy S26 Ultra is able to work under challenging lighting conditions while retaining picture quality.
Despite all of this, the screen is also said to be able to retain its image quality. Colors remain accurate, and everything else remains sharp and detailed. So, if you use the S26 Ultra outdoors with the brightness turned all the way up, you can still make it hide the screen from passersby while still looking every bit as gorgeous as you’d expect and want.
I was amazed by this feature, especially since I had the brightness settings set to maximum
— Ahmed Qwaider (@AhmedQwaider888) January 15, 2026
The screen was almost completely off
What's even more surprising is that this feature doesn't reduce the screen's quality or colors
It's truly amazing from Samsung
The biggest selling feature, by far
This privacy display is far from the only upgrade making its way to the Galaxy S26 Ultra this year. Samsung’s newest flagship phone will come with a wider aperture — hence the return of the rear camera island — which means that it will take much better photos. Low-light photography, in particular, can be expected to see a big leap in clarity and object detail.
In addition, the S26 Ultra is also reportedly seeing an upgrade to its wired and wireless charging speeds at long last. The phone will support 60W wired charging (up from 45W on the Galaxy S25 Ultra) and 25W wireless charging (up from 15W from its predecessor).
However, I think that the privacy display might be the biggest selling point for the Galaxy S26 Ultra by far. The displays on the Ultra models are actually something that Samsung has been nailing for a handful of years now. For example, the anti-reflective coating, that Apple has now also started using with the iPhone 17, was a game changer too when it first came out.
I suspect we’ll be seeing other phone makers adopting similar privacy displays in the near future for their own flagship offerings. Now, if only Samsung would take a leaf out of its competitors’ books too, and adopt silicon-carbon batteries.
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