Samsung has officially confirmed that its upcoming Galaxy S26 series will be equipped with a new privacy display technology capable of blocking side-angle views “at the pixel level.” The feature uses dedicated hardware to narrow the screen's visible angle, helping users shield their data in public environments.

According to Samsung’s latest press release, the feature was specifically designed to combat “shoulder surfing”  -  the act of peeking at someone’s screen from the side.

The underlying mechanism keeps the display clear when viewed head-on, but it dims or becomes unreadable when viewed from side angles.

This aligns with previously leaked animations in the beta version of One UI 8.5, which showed the screen automatically dimming when the device is tilted left or right.

Samsung’s use of the phrase “pixel-level security” highlights that this is not merely a software trick, but a specialized hardware solution.

Industry experts speculate the company may be applying its Flex Magic Pixel OLED technology, first showcased at Mobile World Congress 2025.

Contrary to early rumors that artificial intelligence might be used to control the feature, Samsung’s announcement made no mention of AI.

Instead, the company confirmed the function will be highly customizable. Users will be able to assign specific apps to trigger the privacy mode automatically.

The feature activates when users type passwords or input sensitive information. Brightness levels can be adjusted, allowing users to control how dark the screen becomes at various angles.

Samsung positions this privacy screen as part of its broader Knox and Knox Vault security ecosystems. Because the feature relies on hardware integration, it’s considered significantly more reliable than existing software-based screen filters.

However, that also means older Galaxy devices will not be able to receive this functionality through a software update.

At this time, it remains unclear whether the feature will be available across the entire Galaxy S26 lineup or only in the high-end Ultra model. Samsung is expected to officially launch the S26 series near the end of February, most likely on February 25.

Du Lam