Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: What is Privacy Display?

Samsung’s latest flagship, the Galaxy S26 Ultra, is now out, and it comes with a bunch of upgrades focused on AI, performance, and cameras. However, one highlight drawing attention is a new display innovation called Privacy Display.

The feature adds an extra layer of discretion for users handling sensitive information in public spaces and signals a shift towards hardware-driven privacy tools on smartphones. Wondering what it is? Read on to find out.

Privacy Display explained and how it works

Privacy Display is built directly into the OLED panel rather than being a software-only feature. The technology controls how light is emitted from the screen, reducing visibility from side angles while keeping the display clear and bright for the person looking at it straight on.

Unlike traditional privacy screen protectors that permanently narrow viewing angles, this solution can be switched on or off whenever needed. The panel uses a combination of pixel structures that adjust light dispersion depending on whether Privacy Mode is active.

When enabled, side viewing angles become significantly darker, making text and content difficult for nearby people to read. This makes it useful when accessing banking apps, reading personal messages or working with confidential documents in crowded environments such as public transport or cafés.

Users can activate the feature manually from Quick Settings or set it to trigger automatically during certain actions, such as entering passwords or opening selected applications. It can also be activated by pressing the power button twice. Samsung also allows customisation through multiple privacy levels, including options that obscure only notifications or the entire screen for maximum protection.

Real-world benefits and additional privacy tools

Besides visual shielding, Privacy Display works alongside Samsung’s broader security system, including Knox-based protection, on-device AI safeguards and smarter call-screening features. Because it operates at the hardware level, the feature maintains display quality for the user without noticeable colour loss or brightness reduction.

In everyday use, this approach removes the need for physical privacy films while offering greater flexibility. As smartphones increasingly store sensitive personal and professional data, integrated privacy solutions like this could become an important direction for future flagship devices.

ALSO READ: Samsung phone’s ‘Privacy Display’ feature could arrive on Xiaomi 18, Vivo X500

Visit these pages to know everything about the Galaxy S26 series and their prices and offers.