It's been rumored that the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra will feature a new "Flex Magic Pixel" technology that will serve as a built-in privacy glass. Simply, it would stop people from peeking at what's on your phone screen.
A post from leaker Ahmed Qwaider seems to reveal how the new "Privacy Display" will work in the real world. He claimed that he's used both the S26 Ultra and the feature.
"I was very impressed with it & I think it's the most important selling point," Qwaider said.
Apparently, if the feature is turned on, it will automatically shield the display from prying eyes. It should look almost completely black to anyone viewing it from the side. And you can set it to turn on only when specific apps like WhatsApp or banking software are running.
Brightness and clarity
My colleague, phones editor John Velasco, is "meh" about the Privacy Display feature. In November of last year, he tested third-party privacy screen protectors for the iPhone 17 and had two specific complaints: clarity and brightness.
While he found the privacy function compelling, the added layer dimmed the screen even at the highest brightness and made things slightly blurrier.
Qwaider indicates that those issues may not be a concern on the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
"What's even more surprising is that this feature doesn't reduce the screen's quality or colors," he wrote. He noted that he was amazed by the feature even when he had brightness settings set to maximum.
So far, it appears this will be limited to the Ultra model, though there are rumors that we could see the Privacy Display on the Galaxy S26 and the Galaxy S26+ as well.
We expect Samsung to announce the S26 series on February 25, 2026, likely with a March retail release. It's not clear what the price will be, with some rumors claiming we could see an increase, while others have said the company is striving to keep prices the same, at least in the U.S. and U.K. markets.
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