The Galaxy S26 Ultra introduces something we haven’t really seen on a mainstream smartphone before: a built-in Privacy Display.

If you’ve ever used a privacy screen protector, you know the concept. Tilt the phone slightly and the screen becomes difficult to read from the side. Samsung is now doing that at the pixel level — no accessory required.

More importantly, this isn’t a blunt on-or-off feature. You can toggle it manually, or activate it only for specific apps. That means you can leave it off while watching YouTube, but turn it on automatically for banking apps, messages, or anything more sensitive.

It’s the kind of feature that doesn’t look impressive in a spec sheet, but makes a lot of sense in real life. Public transport. Coffee shops. Airports. Open offices. These are places where people casually glance at your screen without meaning to — or sometimes with intention.

Samsung says the feature works without significantly affecting sharpness or color, though we’ll need extended testing to determine how it impacts brightness and overall clarity in different lighting conditions.

In a year filled with AI headlines, Privacy Display stands out because it solves a very human problem. It’s subtle. It’s practical. And it feels designed with everyday use in mind.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Series – Specs 

Audio Eraser was already one of the more useful AI tools in recent Galaxy phones. On the S26 series, it becomes more practical.

It now works across third-party apps.

In the demo, Samsung showed background noise being removed from WWE footage. We tested it ourselves using a noisy K-pop fancam on YouTube. The results were surprisingly effective. Crowd noise softened. The main audio became clearer. And it didn’t sound aggressively distorted.

That’s the key difference between flashy AI and useful AI. This one feels usable.

Instead of being limited to clips shot directly on the phone, Audio Eraser can now clean up videos from streaming apps or social platforms. That opens up more real-world scenarios — from improving a saved concert clip to cleaning up dialogue in shared content.

It’s not the kind of feature you upgrade your phone for. But it’s the kind of feature you’ll appreciate once it’s there.

And in a year where Samsung is doubling down on AI, this might be one of the clearest examples of it working in service of the user.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Series – Specs 

The Galaxy S26 series adopts a more unified design language this year.

All three models now share the same corner radius. The Ultra no longer stands apart with sharper, more Note-like edges. The lineup looks cohesive from top to bottom.

The camera module also shifts slightly. Instead of blending more seamlessly into the frame, it now sits on a more defined island. It’s subtle, but noticeable in person.

The S26 Ultra is slimmer and lighter than its predecessor. Part of that comes from a material change — moving away from titanium to what Samsung calls Light Armor Aluminum. The company says it helps reduce weight and improve heat dissipation.

None of these changes are dramatic.

But together, they signal refinement. The S26 series doesn’t attempt to reinvent the Galaxy design. It smooths it out. Simplifies it. Aligns it.

It’s cohesive — even if it isn’t bold.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Series – Specs