In summary:
- Tech Advisor reports that Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra will introduce a Privacy Display feature that prevents shoulder-surfing by making OLED pixels emit light directionally.
- Chinese manufacturers are reportedly testing similar “spy screen” technology, with flagship phones from Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo expected to adopt comparable features around September.
- Samsung may only maintain a six-month exclusivity lead before this privacy technology becomes widespread across premium smartphones.
Chinese smartphone manufacturers could emulate the most exciting feature of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra before long.
Samsung is holding its next big Unpacked even on 25 February (yes, that’s tomorrow), at which the Samsung Galaxy S26 series will be announced.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is shaping up to be the most exciting phone in the series, thanks to its heavily-previewed and leaked Privacy Display feature. This will prevent shoulder-peepers from spying on sensitive content over your shoulder, whether it’s a password or a saucy novel.
It might not remain an exclusive feature for long, however, if a fresh Weibo post from Digital Chat Station is to be believed.
The prolific tipster claims that a so-called “spy screen” (via machine translation) technology is currently being tested by multiple Chinese manufacturers. It will apparently make its way into flagship phones some time around September.
Possible privacy screen rivals
Samsung will likely have a six month head start, then, but we wouldn’t be surprised if any or all of the Xiaomi 18, Oppo Find X10, and/or the Vivo X500 show up with their own take on the Privacy Display.
Perhaps even the OnePlus 16 Pro, if rumours of a new premium model are true.
According to details supplied by Samsung and by leakers, the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s Privacy Display will black out specific screen elements for anyone but the phone’s owner. You’ll be able to specify which apps and services this privacy screen activates in, too, such as for notification pop-ups.
It’s said to be based on a special hardware feature that causes individual OLED pixels to emit light in only a specific direction, making it appear black from any other angle.
We’re already rather excited about what Samsung has to offer on this front, and would be open to seeing it become a standard feature – assuming it works as advertised, of course.
Author: Jon Mundy, Contributor, Tech Advisor
Jon is a freelance journalist who got his start covering mobile games at the dawn of the App Store. He has since covered everything from smart home tech and laptops to food and culture, but always seems to return to his fascination with smartphones.