“RIP to privacy screen protectors:” users get first glimpse of Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra
While some users were curious about how the YouTuber managed to get their hands on a smartphone that’s not even out yet, others were concerned about its new display privacy feature.
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While some users were curious about how the YouTuber managed to get their hands on a smartphone that’s not even out yet, others were concerned about its new display privacy feature.
- A video of the Galaxy S26 Ultra shows Samsung’s new built-in display privacy feature in action ahead of its official Unpacked 2026 launch.
- The feature partially serves as a privacy screen protector, darkening the screen edges to prevent shoulder-surfing.
- Some users like the idea of built-in privacy, while others worry it will make everyday use less convenient if it requires constant manual toggling.
- Some question whether the feature won’t worsen viewing angles and overall screen quality.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
With Samsung Unpacked 2026 right around the corner, potential leaks about what the company could present at the event are getting out of hand.
Sahil Karoul, a tech YouTuber with almost 300,000 followers, demonstrated how the company’s display privacy feature looks on the new Galaxy S26 Ultra.
How? By actually trying the latest smartphone himself.
Previously, the company shared that it plans to release a privacy feature to protect the smartphone screen from unwanted glances, especially when a user is seeing or entering sensitive information.
The new feature was supposed to come out with Samsung’s latest Galaxy S26 smartphone lineup.
Nevertheless, the YouTuber has already shared how the feature works after purchasing the smartphone in Dubai.
The video shows how the display privacy feature works across the entire screen. It was previously reported that the feature could also work in specific areas of the screen, chosen by the user.
Besides other questions related to the new smartphone and the central question of how the content creator obtained it before its official launch, some users also questioned how convenient this feature actually is.
While some users already praised the new feature, noting that they will no longer need privacy screen protectors,” some were more skeptical about it.
One X user was curious about whether “this affects normal viewing angles for videos,” since users don’t always look at the screen straight on, for example, when lying in bed.
They also pointed out that while for that reason the feature can be turned off, “if privacy needs manual toggling constantly, it becomes friction.”
“This should be context-aware or app-based, otherwise people will just leave it off,” concluded the user.
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Besides having doubts about how convenient the feature will be in reality, some users were also concerned about the screen quality.
“Why does it look like a cheap LCD display when privacy display is on?” wrote one X user.
“The distribution of the dimming looks somewhat uneven,” noted another user.
Questions about the display privacy feature will hopefully be answered on February 25th during Samsung’s Unpacked 2026 event.
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