Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Review – Privacy Display steals the show on Samsung’s latest flagship

Samsung’s Galaxy S series has long been the benchmark for premium Android phones and the Galaxy S26 Ultra continues that tradition. Our Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Review covers the amazing new Privacy Display, AI Features, the camera and more.

Starting at $2,199 for the 256GB model and climbing to $2,949 if you want the full 1TB of storage, the Ultra is not cheap. But Samsung clearly believes this is the device most people want, with the Ultra reportedly making up well over 60 percent of sales across the S range.

And after using it for a couple of weeks, it is easy to see why. There are camera improvements, plenty of AI features and the same powerful performance you would expect from Samsung’s top device. But the standout addition this year is something far simpler and far more practical. Privacy.

Privacy Display – The feature you will not find on any other S26

Samsung has introduced a new screen technology on the S26 Ultra called Privacy Display, and it might be the most genuinely useful feature added to a phone in years.

The idea is simple. Stop people beside you from seeing what is on your screen. Technically, Samsung has configured the display so that half the pixels emit light straight out of the screen, while the other half project at wider angles.

When Privacy Display is activated, only the narrow direct pixels are used. From directly in front of the phone everything looks normal. From the side, the screen becomes much harder to see.

Is it perfect? No.

Is it incredibly impressive? Yes.

What surprised me most is that I expected it to feel like a gimmick. Instead, I used it the entire time I had the phone.

You can leave it on permanently, but the smarter way to use it is through automation. For example, you can set it to activate automatically when banking or email apps open.

It also works with notifications. Even if someone next to you can see your screen clearly, the part of the display where a notification appears can darken instantly.

It feels like magic.

There is a small trade off. With fewer pixels active, the screen becomes slightly dimmer and technically runs at lower resolution. In reality though, the difference is barely noticeable.

As a feature, it is outstanding.

Performance and everyday use

None of the core fundamentals have changed dramatically this year, and that is not a bad thing.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is incredibly powerful, fast and smooth in everyday use. Apps open instantly, multitasking is effortless and gaming performance is excellent.

Samsung has spent the last few years positioning its phones as “AI phones” and those features are still here. They are just not quite as front and centre in the marketing this time around.

Which actually feels refreshing.

AI features are still here

Despite the quieter messaging, Samsung continues to expand its AI features.

Photo Assist tools now allow you to add or remove objects in images using simple text prompts. It is fun to play with and occasionally useful when editing photos.

Samsung also spoke about something called Now Nudge. The idea is that AI suggestions come to you automatically.

For example, if someone messages you about a future date, the phone might suggest creating a calendar event.

In theory it sounds great.

In practice, I never saw it happen during my testing. Not once.

That does not mean the feature will never work as intended. It may simply be something that evolves with future software updates.

Camera improvements where they matter

Samsung continues to refine its already excellent camera system.

The biggest improvement this year is in low light photography. A wider aperture allows more light into the sensor, resulting in photos with better detail and richer colour in darker environments.

For most users, this is where you will notice the upgrade.

Samsung’s famous 100x zoom also remains. It is still more of a fun party trick than a serious photography tool. At that extreme level, images rarely look amazing.

More practical zoom levels though continue to deliver excellent results, and Samsung remains one of the best in the business when it comes to smartphone zoom photography.

A new video stabilisation trick

Samsung has introduced a feature called Horizontal Lock for video.

It is essentially a supercharged stabilisation system designed to remove shaky movement from handheld footage.

And it works incredibly well, however if you are deliberately moving the phone for a shot, the stabilisation can counteract that motion. Because of that, it is not something you want enabled all the time.

But if you know your shaky hands might ruin a video, turning it on can make a huge difference.

Design changes are subtle but noticeable

At first glance the Galaxy S26 Ultra looks very similar to last year’s S25, put them side by side though and a few differences appear.

The phone is slightly taller this year, but the bigger change is around the camera system. Samsung has added a raised camera island that houses the lenses.

That extra structure makes the phone noticeably thicker than last year’s model.

For a phone that already pushes the limits of size, it would be nice to see that trend reverse in future models.

The S Pen remains

The Galaxy S26 Ultra still includes Samsung’s built in S Pen stylus.

For some people this is a huge selling point. If you like writing notes directly on your phone or using a stylus for productivity tasks, it is a feature you will love, for me personally, it is not something I use often.

In fact, there were moments during this review where I forgot the stylus was even there.

I almost wonder if Samsung could take the Ultra’s best features, remove the S Pen and turn that into a more powerful “Plus” model. It might strengthen the middle of the lineup.

But for those who love the stylus experience, the S Pen remains a unique part of the Ultra.

Samsung still ignores Qi2 charging

My biggest frustration with the Galaxy S26 Ultra is something Samsung still has not addressed – Qi2 wireless charging.

The phone supports wireless charging, but it does not include the magnetic alignment system built into the Qi2 standard.

Apple introduced the idea with MagSafe and the industry standards body later adopted it as Qi2. The magnets allow chargers and accessories to snap perfectly into place.

Samsung says the phone can work with Qi2 if you use a special case. That is not really good enough.

This is already a large and thick phone. Surely there is room inside for the magnets needed to support Qi2 natively.

For the most popular Android phone in the world to miss this feature feels strange.

Final verdict

The Galaxy S26 Ultra remains one of the most powerful and capable smartphones you can buy, the camera improvements are welcome, performance is excellent and Samsung continues to build out its AI capabilities.

The real highlight this year is Privacy Display. It is one of those features that sounds small on paper but becomes incredibly useful once you start using it.

for those upgrading from something like a Galaxy S20 or S21, the jump will feel huge. If you already own a recent Samsung flagship, it might not be quite enough to justify an immediate upgrade, but there is no doubt the Galaxy S26 Ultra remains at the very top of the Android smartphone market.