A new teardown of a One UI 8.5 build has revealed references to a “Private Display” feature, and it looks tailor-made for the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra.
Samsung’s Galaxy Ultra phones are usually the first to showcase new software tricks, and this leak hints at a particularly practical one. The Private Display (sometimes called Privacy Display) is designed to make your screen harder to peek at from side angles, the kind of feature that could be a lifesaver if you often use sensitive apps on the train or in a busy coffee shop.
The code strings suggest that the feature will kick in automatically when you’re running certain apps in crowded places. There’s also mention of “Maximum Privacy,” which dims the screen further to boost security, and manual controls that may let you fine-tune when it activates. On top of that, there appear to be custom conditions, so you could lock it to specific apps (like banking) or even schedule it to turn on during your commute.
This all ties in neatly with Samsung Display’s Flex Magic Pixel tech, which the company teased earlier this year. The display hardware uses AI to adjust pixels dynamically, narrowing the viewing angle when privacy mode is enabled. If the Galaxy S26 Ultra does ship with this, it would be the first mainstream phone to tackle shoulder-surfing in such an elegant way.
It’s worth remembering that One UI 8 only just rolled out, bringing a smoother interface and quality-of-life tweaks to phones like the Galaxy S24 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold 6. But leaks like this show Samsung isn’t slowing down. One UI 8.5 is already in testing, and it could launch alongside the Galaxy S26 series in early 2026.
We’ve seen plenty of clever AI integrations recently, but this feels like one of the more genuinely useful ones. Instead of a novelty, it’s about protecting your information in the real world. Combine that with the S26 Ultra’s rumoured massive battery upgrades and camera refinements (if it follows the path of the Galaxy S25 Ultra), and Samsung could have another serious contender on its hands.
For now, Samsung hasn’t confirmed anything officially, so take it with the usual grain of salt. But if Private Display does make its debut next year, it might just be the kind of AI feature people actually use every day.
