TL;DR
- Samsung had initially planned to launch Privacy Display on the Galaxy S25 Ultra last year.
- The feature wasn’t complete, so Samsung waited until the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s launch to actually release it.
- A Samsung executive suggests it could also come to more devices in the future.
Privacy Display is one of the coolest and most widely discussed features on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Not only does it make the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s display feel like an upgrade, but it also redeems Samsung from any accusations of not innovating. While the feature is uniquely developed by Samsung for the Galaxy S26 Ultra, it has been under development for longer than you might think. In fact, it was almost added to the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
The chief operating officer at Samsung’s MX (Mobile Experience) arm, Won-Joon Choi, recently told Bloomberg that Samsung was prepared to deploy the Privacy Display on the Galaxy S25 Ultra last year. However, the plan was later halted due to last-minute snags.
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Choi told Bloomberg that Samsung couldn’t proceed with the plan because it had to “solve a couple of the last challenges.” It therefore took another year resolve the issues. And from what we can tell based on limited time with the Galaxy S26 Ultra ahead of the launch, Samsung appears to have fared well.
The executive adds that the idea was proposed about three to four years ago by a Samsung engineer, and the company has since been working on making it a reality. It’s spectacular that despite the project’s long duration, Samsung was able to contain details about Privacy Display from leaking until close to the launch.
While the feature is currently limited to the Galaxy S26 Ultra, Samsung could bring it to other phones in the future and perhaps expand it to models beyond the Ultra. “If we believe it’s time to propagate it to other models, we’ll consider doing so,” Choi said in the interview.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
Privacy display • Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy • Power AI features •
Powerful flagship with top-tier cameras, AI, and privacy features.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra is Samsung’s slimmest and lightest Ultra yet, pairing a 6.9-inch 10-bit display with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy and a redesigned cooling system. It doubles down on imaging with a brighter 200MP main camera, upgraded zoom, advanced 8K video features, and Ultra-exclusive privacy and Galaxy AI tools.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus
Powerful performance • New Galaxy AI features • Faster Wireless charging
A balanced middle-ground option with a large display, long-lasting battery, and faster charging.
The Galaxy S26 Plus sits in the sweet spot of the lineup, offering a large display, a big 4,900mAh battery with faster wireless charging, and the same powerful Galaxy AI features as its siblings, without stepping all the way up to Ultra pricing.
Samsung Galaxy S26
Powerful performance • New Galaxy AI features • Bigger Battery
Compact flagship with Galaxy AI and strong performance
The compact flagship of the lineup, pairing a slightly larger display with solid battery life, fast performance, and the full suite of Galaxy AI features in a more affordable package.
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