Flashspoter - Samsung finally revealed the Galaxy S26 Ultra at their Unpacked event this week. Out of all the features announced, the one that grabbed the majority of the attention was Privacy Display, which is a display technology that restricts viewing angles in order to keep user privacy.
Unlike most privacy screen protectors, this feature is embedded directly inside the OLED screen and can be activated or deactivated as needed. This technology has actually been introduced by Samsung Display in 2024 under the name Flex Magic Pixel, which is now applied for the first time in consumer devices.
Privacy Display works by utilizing two sets of pixels within the screen. One set projects a straight-forward image for the user, while the other set directs the light to the side so that the screen can be seen from another angle. When the feature is turned on, the side pixels are turned off so that the screen display looks very dim from a sideways angle.
Samsung provides extensive customization options. Users can set this feature to be active only when a notification appears, when entering a PIN, or for certain applications such as mobile banking. This capability can also be made part of rituals, for instance, it switches off by itself at home and back on when the user is traveling.
Going for a more efficient the Galaxy S26 Ultra has dropped some weight with the help of an aluminum frame which has cut the thickness from 8.2mm to 7.9mm and the weight from 218 grams to 214 grams. This change in materials mirrors a design language that Apple has just recently adopted.
The Ultra design is now even more in tune with the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus. All of the Note's distinctive curves have disappeared, replaced by uniformly rounded corners throughout the series.
The field of photography got a significant increase. The primary camera with 200 megapixels has been given a wider aperture which has been changed from f/1.7 to f/1.4. The 5X 50 megapixel telephoto lens also received the same kind of upgrade, the aperture was changed from f/3.4 to f/2.9. Any additional light that the sensor is able to collect is always a good thing, especially when it comes to shooting in low-light situations.
For performance, all variants of the Galaxy S26 Ultra sold globally will use the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset, which is specially tailored by Qualcomm for Samsung.
AI features become an indispensable part of the S26 Ultra. The gallery app now supports editing photos with natural language commands, similar to what Google Photos offers. Users can combine two images with specific instructions, for example, make a photo as if holding a pet or wearing different clothes.
Samsung is also bringing fraud detection to AI-based phone calls and caller screens. Bixby is getting a major update with the feature of understanding natural questions about device settings and helping with menu navigation.
Even with inflation and increasing component prices, Samsung didn't increase the price of the S26 Ultra, which is still at USD 1, 299 for the 256GB version with 12GB RAM. This move can be considered excellent news against the backdrop of price hikes for flagship phones this year.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra proves that hardware innovation is still possible in an industry that tends to be slow. Privacy Display is a feature that is not only technically interesting, but also relevant to the user's need for privacy in public spaces.
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