Samsung’s top Android rival might copy Privacy Display, but will it be better?

https://www.androidauthority.com/samsung-biggest-android-rival-privacy-display-3671436/

Publish Date: 2026-05-27 04:23:00

Hadlee Simons / Android Authority

TL;DR

A leaker has claimed that Xiaomi is working on a Samsung-like Privacy Display feature.
The feature will apparently debut as part of the Hyper OS 4 update later this year.
This strongly suggests that Xiaomi’s feature is a software-based option, unlike Samsung’s hardware-driven approach.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra debuted a Privacy Display feature earlier this year to deter shoulder surfers. We previously heard that other brands are working on similar functionality, and Samsung’s biggest Android rival is apparently working on this feature.

Tipster Yogesh Brar reports that Xiaomi is working on a Samsung-style Privacy Display feature. The leaker says it will debut as part of Xiaomi’s Hyper OS 4 update later this year.

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The fact that this is apparently arriving as part of Hyper OS 4 suggests we’re looking at a software-based feature rather than Samsung’s hardware-based option. However, it’s also possible that Xiaomi is working on phones that actually have the requisite hardware for Privacy Display, and that HyperOS 4 will merely enable this hardware option. After all, we discovered Samsung’s Privacy Display feature in software before it made a physical appearance. But it certainly seems like this is a software-driven solution.

What do you think of the S26 Ultra’s Privacy Display?

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The Galaxy S26 Ultra uses Samsung screens with so-called Flex Magic Pixel technology. This allows the display’s pixels to physically move, therefore narrowing the screen’s viewing angle. Users can choose to narrow viewing angles for the entire screen or specific areas. This isn’t possible with a software approach, which leads me to believe Xiaomi might pull a BlackBerry. BlackBerry’s Android phones had a Privacy Shade feature that effectively blacked out all but a small, draggable area of the…

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