We Tested the Privacy Screen

5 min read

I’m the one who darts my eyes over your shoulders to spy on strangers text conversations: the row you’re having with your girlfriend, the rant session with your coworker, and the Secret Lives of Men all unfold in front of my eyes. While I’m riding the Long Island Railroad, I can see who’s watching The Pitt (one of the best TV shows of 2026) and who’s scrolling brain-rot on TikTok.

Samsung has swooped in to save you from my prying eyes with the new Galaxy S26 Ultra. For the first time ever, the smartphone has a built-in privacy screen. I’m not talking about a cheap screen protector that you slap on top of the display. It’s a hardware-level privacy feature.

Other than that, the Galaxy S26 Ultra doesn’t bring a major year-over-year leap in hardware. Instead, updates this year lean heavily on software and AI. The real question is: Is that enough to justify an upgrade? Here is my review.

Design

Samsung took a page from Apple’s playbook for the iPhone 17 Pro Max and ditched the titanium frame in favor of aluminum. Why? According to Samsung, the metal swap made this premium-tier model its lightest and slimmest Ultra design yet.

Kimberly Gedeon

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is slightly slimmer than its predecessor.

I reviewed the specs, and I see the difference. Last year’s S25 Ultra is 3.2 inches thick and weighs 7.7 ounces; the new S26 Ultra is 3.1 inches thick and weighs 7.6 ounces. This may seem minuscule, but it makes a difference it in-hand; the 26 Ultra is noticeably more manageable to hold.

Kimberly Gedeon

The aluminum frame makes it lighter.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra also has rounded edges. If you’re familiar with the Ultra line, you know it’s leaned into a boxier, sharper aesthetic over the years. This time around, Samsung softened the corners.

And finally, the camera array has been reworked into a more pronounced, raised design. However, as you’ll find out in the battery life section, it makes charging via wireless power banks a bit awkward.