Samsung is teasing a new privacy-focused display feature that could debut with the Galaxy S26.
This feature is aimed squarely at one of smartphone use’s most awkward realities: checking personal information in very public places.
In a newly published teaser, Samsung describes an upcoming “new layer of privacy” designed to protect users from shoulder surfing on buses, trains and lifts.
Rather than locking down the entire screen, the system is designed to be customisable. Users can decide what stays visible and what doesn’t. For example, users can choose this down to individual apps, notifications or moments like password entry.
According to Samsung, the feature has been more than five years in the making and is built on top of its long-standing Knox security platform. The company frames it as “privacy at a pixel level”. As a result, they position it as a more flexible alternative to the all-or-nothing privacy filters many users rely on today.
While Samsung hasn’t officially confirmed which devices will support the feature, recent leaks strongly suggest it’s headed for the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Prominent leaker Ice Universe has shared details on how the so-called Privacy Display is expected to work. It appears to be a hardware-level solution, not just a software trick.
Rather than diffusing light evenly across wide viewing angles like traditional smartphone displays, the leaked tech uses directional light emission. This means content is projected primarily towards the user looking directly at the screen.
Meanwhile, people viewing from the side see little to nothing. In some cases, only specific on-screen elements — such as sensitive pop-ups — are hidden from off-angle views. So, it does not hide the entire display.
It’s a concept already used in enterprise monitors and ATM screens, but adapting it for a flagship smartphone is more ambitious. Ice Universe notes that directional displays can introduce trade-offs, including uneven brightness or colour shifts, so it’ll be interesting to see how Samsung balances privacy with display quality.
For now, Samsung is keeping details deliberately vague, simply promising that the feature is “coming to Galaxy very soon”.
With the Galaxy S26 launch expected at an Unpacked event rumoured to take place in late February, it likely won’t be long before we see whether this new approach to privacy is a genuine everyday upgrade.
