Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra’s ‘Privacy Display’ is the one feature Apple can’t copy yet
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra’s ‘Privacy Display’ is the one feature Apple can’t copy yet
https://www.theshortcut.com/p/samsung-galaxy-s26-ultra-privacy-display
Publish Date: 2026-02-22 13:29:00
Source Domain: www.theshortcut.com
The Shortcut first saw the Flex Magic Pixel at MWC 2024. Two years later, it may come to the S26 Ultra this week at Unpacked 2026
Recent Galaxy S26 Ultra leaks suggest that Samsung’s new phone won’t look very different from last year’s handset, seen in our Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review. The biggest change, however, may be lurking underneath the display.
Samsung Display developed a next-gen privacy innovation called the Flex Magic Pixel over the last five years, and it’s set to be a key feature of the Galaxy S26 Ultra. It’ll allow users to “control visibility at a more granular level than traditional privacy modes,” says Samsung.
It’s a feature that Apple isn’t expected to mimic in the iPhone 18 Pro Max, so if this S26 Ultra-exclusive feature catches your eye (and not the eyes of “shoulder surfers”), then Samsung may have a winner for an otherwise iterative year-over-year phone upgrade.
Samsung explained that this is better than a screen protector with a privacy filter slapped on the screen. It’ll allow users to shade parts of the screen at a granular level. Here are some examples of where this could come in handy.
-
🔐 Shade password screens. Samsung’s Flex Magic Pixel technology will shade your password entry, preventing phone thieves from spying on your passcode or drawing pattern to unlock your phone when they have it in their hands.
-
🛑 Lock down specific apps. Banking apps with critical financial information often reveal you’d rather not let strangers see. Unlike a privacy filter, Samsung’s tech will be able to be applied to specific apps.
-
💬 Hide notifications surprises. We’ve all had text notifications awkwardly show upin front of someone who wasn’t supposed to see that message. Apply some shade while talking shade (or, you know, planning a surprise) with Samsung’s Flex Magic Pixel.
Expect to see Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Samsung in this year’s smartphone (Image credit: Matt Swider / The Shortcut)
Samsung…
