The Galaxy S26 range hasn’t even gone on sale in most markets yet, but a potential problem with the Ultra’s display has already been flagged.
The Ultra is the only one of Samsung’s fresh flagship phones to have a key new feature: its world-first privacy display. It’s a combination of hardware and software that will turn your screen black when viewed from an angle.
It can even block certain parts of the display, such as pop-up notifications. It’s truly innovative, but new reports suggest that not everything is working well with the technology.
Well-known leaker Ice Universe got his hands on an S26 Ultra and posted about a major, potential issue. The problem is that text on the display can appear blurry when compared to the S25 Ultra, even with the privacy display switched off.
There are other downsides to the tech, which are understandable, such as a drop in brightness and colours looking duller – again, compared to the S25 Ultra. We noted issues with brightness and colour during our hands-on time with the phone, which was expected, because pixels are being dimmed to achieve the result. However, we didn’t see any evidence of blurry text.
Ice Universe says he is investigating whether this is a widespread issue and says: “I do not believe this is a minor matter.”
In a previous post, which appears to have been deleted, he said that Samsung was investigating the issue. Meanwhile, another post recommends that prospective buyers compare the previous generation with the S26 Ultra in a store before buying.
Arguably, only a small percentage of S25 Ultra owners will be looking to upgrade. The bigger issue is whether Samsung can fix this supposed flaw with a firmware update, or if it is, in fact, a fundamental part of the new hardware and therefore can’t be changed.
Chris Martin / Foundry
Ice Universe suspects that: “Based on current findings, the display change on the Galaxy S26 Ultra is determined by its pixel structure and is not an isolated case.”
I reached out to Samsung for a comment on the issue, but haven’t yet heard back.
Since publishing, a SamMobile contributor has posted confirming the problems, including eye strain when using the Galaxy S26 Ultra with the privacy display switched off.
He also posted images showing how the S26 Ultra’s display looks more grainy and pixelated compared to the S25 Ultra with the screens both set to 2K resolution and no privacy mode activated.
I’ve also spoken to our contributor who is reviewing the S26 Ultra for Tech Advisor and he doesn’t have these problems. No eye strain after plenty of usage and no discernible downgrade with privacy display turned on, but the expected loss in brightness and resolution with it on.
This suggests it’s not a blanket issue with all S26 Ultra units. Samsung is yet to respond to my request for comment.
Author: Chris Martin, Managing Editor, Tech Advisor
Tech Advisor Managing Editor Chris got his break as a reporter at infamous site The Inquirer and has been with us for more than 12 years. With a BA degree in Music Technology, audio is his specialism, but over the years he has reviewed all kinds of gadgets, from smartwatches to mesh Wi-Fi to coffee machines.