Elaborate leak reveals the Galaxy S26 Ultra's 'Privacy display' feature

We've learned quite a bit about the Samsung Galaxy S26 series over the past few months. While the top-of-the-line Galaxy S26 Ultra isn't expected to introduce major hardware upgrades, one feature we've been looking forward to is "Privacy display." It was first spotted in an early One UI 8.5 build back in September, while a follow-up leak offered more details on its functioning.

Related

The Galaxy S26 may bring advanced camera features to your fingertips

Video and autofocus upgrades are on the way

Posts By  Chethan Rao

Now, as we near the Galaxy S26 series' rumored late February announcement, another leak is providing a decent visual representation of how Privacy display will work when active. We're also learning that it can be set to activate automatically when a specific app is open, or even when a certain notification appears on your screen.

These revelations come courtesy of SammyGuru, who dug into the Samsung Tips app and activated an animation that illustrates Privacy display's operation while also revealing that it will sit within Settings > Display. Samsung will also offer a Quick Settings toggle to manually enable or disable this useful feature.

As you can see in the animation above, activating Privacy display effectively reduces the phone screen's visibility from all angles. This will be particularly useful in public spaces where using sensitive apps can be challenging at the best of times. Even though this feature was spotted within the Tips app in One UI 8.5, Privacy display may remain exclusive to the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

For the uninitiated, Samsung Tips comes preloaded on Galaxy devices and provides extensive tutorials and guides about the device's features.

It will be interesting to see whether Privacy display will impact battery life, given that it's designed to turn on automatically under user-specified conditions. According to initial reports, Samsung will use a combination of the Flex Magic Pixel OLED screen and AI on the Galaxy S26 Ultra to enable this privacy-oriented feature.

We've previously learned from leaked screenshots that Privacy display can be tuned to automatically turn on in certain locations, such as elevators or other public places. Screenshots also revealed a "Maximum privacy" toggle that makes the screen "dimmer than usual."

Subscribe to our newsletter for Privacy display insights

Discover more by subscribing to the newsletter: in-depth breakdowns of features like Privacy display, hands-on implications for privacy and usability, comparisons with alternatives, and practical setup guidance across devices.

Subscribe
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

A feature like this could easily make privacy screen protectors obsolete, provided other phone manufacturers follow suit. This will undoubtedly be a game-changer for Samsung, as no other smartphone currently offers a comparable feature.

Would a feature like Privacy display encourage you to upgrade to the Galaxy S26 Ultra? Let us know.