Future MacBooks may borrow a Samsung privacy feature
Future MacBooks may borrow a Samsung privacy feature
Publish Date: 2026-02-16 07:46:00
Source Domain: 9to5mac.com
Samsung has introduced a new privacy feature to its Galaxy S26 Ultra smartphone, and a new report suggests that future MacBooks may adopt the same technology.
If so, it will be rather ironic as MacBooks were among the earliest laptops to benefit from a feature which can now sometimes be considered a bug …
Display viewing angles
Early laptop displays had a significant drawback if you are wanting to show something to a colleague or friend: they supported only rather narrow viewing angles.
In other words, you had to be sat almost directly in front of the screen to see it properly. If you tried to view it obliquely, as you would if you were sat next to the laptop user, it would appear either very dark or completely impossible to see.
Apple was one of the very first companies to adopt displays with wide viewing angles, solving this problem. Today’s MacBook displays can be easily viewed no matter how wide the angle.
The privacy problem
Ironically, however, this has created a privacy problem for some. If you’re using your MacBook in a public place like a coffee shop or onboard a plane, the fact that your neighbors can read the content can be problematic when the content is confidential.
Indeed, there are third-party privacy screens you can buy for MacBooks and other laptops to restore the old-school characteristic of narrow viewing angles.
Samsung’s Privacy Display
Samsung is about to unveil its new Galaxy S26 Ultra smartphone, and the company has already promoted one of its headline features, a new Privacy Display.
This is intended to offer the best of both worlds: wide-angle viewing by default, but the option of narrow-angle viewing for specific apps, or sensitive content like passwords and notifications.
Not everyone needs the same level of privacy. This new layer gives you the choice to decide what works best for you. You can customize it to raise your guard with specific apps, or when entering access…
