You agree that the Samsung Galaxy S9 was ahead of its time, a potential risk for the Galaxy S26 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy S9 had a very special camera. | Image by PhoneArena

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra might be ahead of its time, as it will feature a privacy display that can stop passersby from sneaking a peek at your screen. Similarly, the Galaxy S9 came with a novel tool all the way back in 2018, and you seem to agree that the S9 was also too technologically advanced for that time.

Galaxy S9 and the variable aperture

Samsung introduced a variable aperture with the Galaxy S9 around eight years ago, a feature that no other smartphone had. Unfortunately, this cool camera upgrade was soon discontinued, and Samsung is only now turning its attention to this field again with a wider aperture on the upcoming Galaxy S26 Ultra.

In a recent poll, we asked you why you think Samsung discontinued such a great feature, and most of you seem to agree that it’s because the phone was ahead of its time. Over 44 percent of you, a clear majority, said that the company discontinued the variable aperture because it was too costly to manufacture in 2018.

Almost 29 percent of respondents, meanwhile, believe that a variable aperture didn’t help much with the cameras of that era, as they weren’t even close to the sensors that we use today. On the other hand, 15 percent of you think that no one needs a variable aperture on their smartphone in the first place.

And, lastly, almost 12 percent of voters think that Samsung discontinued the variable aperture because no other company was using it, meaning that the Galaxy flagships would remain thicker than the competition. Why do you think Samsung discontinued the variable aperture?

Will the Galaxy S26 Ultra be the same?

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra might run the same risk as the Galaxy S9. A privacy display, especially the hardware-level implementation that Samsung has opted for, is a completely novel idea that is not found in any other phone on the market.

If other manufacturers don’t follow suit, then Samsung might be left grappling with manufacturing costs that are higher than what its competitors have to face for a feature that no one is seemingly using. However, it also seems like that is unlikely to be the case.

Privacy displays will probably take off

For starters, I expect Chinese smartphone manufacturers to incorporate privacy displays across some of their own flagship offerings in the near future. While not all of them rush to mimic Samsung, many of them have a soft spot for Apple. And, would you believe it, Apple might use privacy display technology soon, according to a recent report by a market research firm.

Apple is also reportedly introducing variable apertures with the iPhone 18 Pro models this year, and Samsung has asked suppliers for its own units as well. So even if privacy displays go out of fashion quickly, they’ll likely make a comeback in a few years anyway.

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