Samsung confirms Galaxy S26 Ultra's biggest new feature – the new privacy display layer

Samsung has officially confirmed its privacy display feature that's expected to be a headline feature of the new Samsung Galaxy S26 phones. While it doesn’t go as far as confirming the new devices, it does say that the feature is "coming to Galaxy very soon".

That's the closest we've got to Samsung saying that it's going to launch new devices, thanks to a blog on its press site. It comes while speculation mounts about Galaxy Unpacked, thought to be taking place on 24 or 25 February.

There's been discussion about the privacy display feature for a couple of weeks, as the rumour mill fires up in the approach to launch. The feature was first displayed at MWC in 2024, before the options were leaked in a video talking about One UI 8.5 features.

The idea behind privacy display is that it dims the screen so that those looking over your shoulder or from an angle can't see what's happening on the screen. Samsung tells us that phones are "our most personal space, but we use them in the least private places". It's not wrong.

Using a banking app on the bus or answering messages on the train, that passenger sitting next to you could get an eyeful of whatever you're sharing, including passwords that you're using.

The best thing about Samsung's privacy display is that you can turn it on and off. Previous solutions have involved a privacy filter physically fitted over the display, but Samsung's solution offers much more flexibility.

There will be a toggle switch to activate or deactivate it, while Samsung Galaxy users will also be able to decide on timings for it to operate. It might be that you only use it for certain apps – and it can also be applied to notifications.

While the full details are yet to be revealed, that might mean that users can go back to having lock screen notifications, without feeling like they are sharing those with everyone else sitting around them, which is often the case.

Samsung says that privacy display is a fusion of hardware and software and took five years to develop. We should find out more as we head towards the full launch date.