Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra has a weird display and it might just hurt sales

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is an excellent phone in many regards, but it’s not without its problems. Simply put, the Galaxy S26 Ultra display has problems, some of which are bad enough that a significant portion of potential customers might now be rethinking their decision to get the latest Samsung flagship.

Is the Galaxy S26 Ultra an apprehensive purchase?

In a recent poll, we asked you if you were still going to buy the Galaxy S26 Ultra, despite the new problems with its screen that might be the result of the privacy display. The largest subset of voters, a little over 28 percent of you, said that you were still getting the phone regardless of any issues that might be present.

Meanwhile, 24 percent of you said that you hadn’t been considering getting the Galaxy S26 Ultra in the first place, so these new problems weren’t really a concern for you. Around 20 percent of respondents revealed that they were now apprehensive and would wait for detailed reviews to come out before making up their minds.

Galaxy S26 Ultra: pre-order for up to $900 off

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The Galaxy S26 Ultra has been announced, bringing a Privacy Screen feature, insanely fast processor, and multiple Galaxy AI enhancements. Right now, you can pre-order the flagship for up to $900 off with eligible trade-ins. For a limited time, you also get an exclusive $30 Samsung credit with your S26 pre-order.

Pre-order at Samsung

Almost 15 percent of you said that you were not going to buy the Galaxy S26 Ultra because of its display stressing out users’ eyes in some reported cases after short periods of use. Around eight percent of you, on the other hand, have apparently decided not to get the phone because its biggest selling point isn’t as good as you’d hoped. The privacy display only renders the screen dark for passersby at certain, very steep angles.

Lastly, only around four percent of voters said that they weren’t getting the S26 Ultra because of the diminished anti-glare effect on its screen compared to the Galaxy S25 Ultra. What about you? Are you still getting the latest Galaxy flagship or is a certain display downgrade holding you back?

One step forward, one leap back?

The Galaxy S26 Ultra has problems with its display, likely introduced because of the new privacy display technology that uses two different types of pixels. Privacy mode isn’t as strong as some had hoped and the maximum privacy mode decreases image quality drastically.

And, aside from the less effective anti-glare coating, the display seems to have a less refined output overall. Text, for example, appears less clear and can strain the eyes. However, this is hopefully something that Samsung can address with a software update. It just comes down to deciding whether the privacy display is important enough for you to overlook the other problems.

At least it’s something new

Sure, the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s display has some problems. Perhaps it’d be wiser to try one out before placing an order, just to see if your eyes also get tired during normal use. However, at least Samsung has finally done something new.

The last major innovation from the company for its flagship smartphones was the anti-glare coating’s first appearance with the Galaxy S24 Ultra, in my opinion. Since then we’ve lost Bluetooth on the S Pen and the iconic boxy look.

With the Galaxy S26 Ultra, we get wider apertures on the back for improved photos and videography as well as the new privacy display. The first iteration of a new technology is almost never perfect, but I’ll accept that for getting to experience something novel.

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