Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra pushes AI and ‘Privacy Display’. But is it enough to compete with rivals?
Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra pushes AI and ‘Privacy Display’. But is it enough to compete with rivals?
Publish Date: 2026-02-26 04:41:00
Source Domain: www.euronews.com
By Roselyne Min with AP
Published on
26/02/2026 – 10:41 GMT+1
There’s little new in the look of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. The design is familiar, the size is similar to last year’s model, and the cameras remain in the same position.
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But Samsung says the real upgrade is artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.
One of the Ultra’s most distinctive new features is a built-in Privacy Display designed to stop “shoulder surfers”.
It allows only the person directly in front of the device to see the screen, making it easier to check banking apps, messages or confidential emails in public.
“I think it’s a great move by them and they’re really taking advantage of in-house technology from Samsung Display to add something that other smartphone manufacturers don’t have today,” said Ben Wood, founder of CCS Insight.
Beyond privacy, the Galaxy S26 Ultra includes several new on-device AI features.
The Ultra is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, making it faster and more battery-efficient.
For consumers, that means improved sharpness to videos, less lag for gaming, and more options to use AI in photos.
The South Korean company also says its voice assistant, Bixby, should now understand natural language better, so users simply have to speak to their phone and Bixby will execute commands or even make suggestions to solve problems.
But Wood says the AI enhancements may feel less groundbreaking.
“This is a relatively safe bet for Samsung. They’ve essentially taken the design language of the S25, evolved it a little bit, and we’ve seen that everywhere,” said Wood.
“They’re infusing it with an AI story. The challenge is that AI is everywhere now and quite frankly, a lot of the…
