Samsung unveils the $1,299+ Galaxy S26 Ultra with a Privacy Display that limits side-angle screen legibility, a new agentic AI, improved night mode, and more
ZDNET's key takeaways — Samsung's Galaxy S26 series sports a much-needed design upgrade. — Top features include Privacy Display and truly useful AI.
ZDNET Prakhar Khanna
Related Coverage
- Samsung Unveils Galaxy S26 Series: The Most Intuitive Galaxy AI Phone Yet Samsung Newsroom
- Galaxy S26 hands-on: The screen that hides itself The Korea Herald · Moon Joon-hyun
- Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra | Privacy Display Is a GAME CHANGER MacRumors on YouTube · Mac Rumors
- “Very Genius, Apple Should Follow”...Global Media Rave About Galaxy S26 “Privacy Display” The Asia Business Daily · Roh Kyungjo
- Samsung Galaxy S26 launch live — all the latest leaks and rumors ahead of today's big Unpacked event TechRadar · Roland Moore-Colyer
- The Galaxy S26 is faster, more expensive, and even more chock-full of AI Ars Technica · Ryan Whitwam
- Should you upgrade from iPhone to Galaxy S26? PhoneArena · Peter Kostadinov
- Google teases ‘amazing things’ in Android 17 9to5Google · Abner Li
- Privacy Display is the best tech I've seen from Samsung in years, and it's an instant Galaxy S26 Ultra crush for me Digital Trends · Moinak Pal
- I Peeked at the Galaxy S26 Ultra's Privacy Display. Here's How It Works PCMag · Eric Zeman
- Samsung Launches Galaxy S26 Series With Expanded AI Features eWeek · Aminu Abdullahi
- Galaxy S26 Ultra's Privacy Display Makes Shoulder Surfing a Thing of the Past CNET · Macy Meyer
- What do we know about the Samsung Galaxy S26? The Streamable · David Satin
- Samsung Galaxy S26 series debuts with built-in privacy display, faster AI and upgraded cameras; prices start from ₹87,999 Fortune India · Tamanna Mohanty
- Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra has the world's first ‘Privacy Display’ — here's how it works Tom's Guide · Tom Pritchard
- Samsung unveils new Galaxy S26 with one clever feature the iPhone can't match Mirror · Dave Snelling
- Reaching the stars: the Galaxy S26 series launches thinner, stronger with Ultra-level ‘Privacy Display’ and more Android Central · Nickolas Diaz
- Samsung banks on new ‘Privacy Display’ tech, agentic AI with flagship Galaxy S26 series The Indian Express · Anuj Bhatia
- I tested the Galaxy S26 Ultra, and the Privacy Display has to be seen to be believed Android Police · Andy Boxall
- Samsung Releases New Flagship Phones With Focus on Easy-to-Use AI Wall Street Journal · Jiyoung Sohn
- Galaxy S26 Ultra First Look: Privacy Display, Camera Upgrades and More | All Things Mobile CNET on YouTube
- Galaxy S26 Ultra hands-on: surprisingly awesome PhoneArena on YouTube
- Why is the Galaxy S26 Ultra display Samsung's best ever? SamMobile · Mihai Matei
- Samsung Galaxy S26/Ultra Impressions: 1 Crazy Display Feature! Marques Brownlee on YouTube · Marques Brownlee
- Samsung's Galaxy S26 Debut Brings 2nm Chips, Privacy Display And 3 AI Agents BW Businessworld
- 'This is one feature we can't wait to try' — 6 major Galaxy S26 updates for the Ultra and its siblings that could change how you use your phone TechRadar · Lance Ulanoff
- S Pen lives on in the Galaxy S26 Ultra, but there is one change PhoneArena · Anam Hamid
- AT&T Gives Customers the Blue Carpet Treatment for Samsung Galaxy S26 Series Arrival AT&T
- Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra hands-on SamMobile · Abhijeet Mishra
- Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra colors: see all 6 shiny finishes The Shortcut · Max Buondonno
- Samsung unveils Galaxy S26 Ultra with an incredible invention Sammy Fans · Yash
- Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra launched with world-first hardware-based privacy display and agentic AI capabilities Moneycontrol · Shaurya Shubham
- Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra hands-on: Surprisingly awesome PhoneArena · Rad Slavov
- Samsung found a new way for you to insert the Galaxy S26 Ultra's S Pen backwards Android Authority · Stephen Schenck
- Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra hands-on review: privacy gets a pixel-level upgrade The Shortcut · Matt Swider
- Samsung debuts Galaxy S26 with agentic AI, privacy display, price hikes in Korea CHOSUNBIZ · Shim Min-gwan
- Galaxy S26 Ultra Hands-On: Slimmer, Lighter and Loaded With Upgrades CNET · Abrar Al-Heeti
- Samsung Launches Galaxy S26 Ultra With Built-In Privacy Display and New AI Features MacRumors · Juli Clover
- I spent an hour with the Galaxy S26 Ultra, and these 3 changes blew me away Android Authority · Zac Kew-Denniss
- Samsung just made the 8K video on S26 worth it — for 4K capture Android Authority · Zac Kew-Denniss
- Samsung Unveils Galaxy S26 Ultra With Privacy Screen, Lighter Design and More AI Bloomberg · Chris Welch
- What is Samsung Privacy Display and how does it work in the S26 Ultra? T3 · Mike Lowe
- Here are five key takeaways from Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked 2026 Fortune India · Tamanna Mohanty
- Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra is a big AI-powered video powerhouse - and the world's first anti-shoulder surfing smartphone ITPro · Bobby Hellard
- Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra Lands With a Privacy Display That Takes Center Stage TechEBlog · Jackson Chung
- Samsung Introduces Galaxy S26 Series With Expanded Galaxy AI and Pixel-Level Privacy AndroidGuys · Scott Webster
- Samsung Unveils Galaxy S26 Series; Ultra Debuts Built-In Privacy Display [Video] iClarified · Shalom Levytam
- Samsung rolls out more AI, new privacy shield mode with the new Galaxy S26 lineup Associated Press · Michael Liedtke
- If you think the Galaxy S26 Ultra design is boring, you're looking at it wrong Android Police · Andy Boxall
- Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra packs these quiet, but powerful camera upgrades 9to5Google · Andrew Romero
- Galaxy S26 hands-on: Samsung delivers on AI assistance, nearly polishes screen privacy Korea Joongang Daily · Lee Jae-Lim
- I've seen Samsung's Privacy Display and can promise you, I didn't see anything at all Tech Advisor · Chris Martin
- Samsung's Galaxy S26 Phones Are Light On Hardware Upgrades, Heavy on AI Gizmodo · Raymond Wong
- Samsung Galaxy S26 series: From Privacy Display to Now Nudge, What's new Business Standard · Aashish Kumar Shrivastava
- Galaxy S26 Ultra's Privacy Display is the best truly-new smartphone feature in years [Gallery] 9to5Google · Ben Schoon
- Apple Needs to Copy Samsung's New Security Smartphone Screen ASAP Wall Street Journal · Nicole Nguyen
- Samsung's Galaxy S26 turns privacy into a visible and invisible feature Help Net Security · Sinisa Markovic
- Galaxy S26 Ultra's Privacy Display scores excellent figures in an independent test SamMobile · Asif Iqbal Shaik
- Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra introduces breakthrough privacy screen USA Today
- The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra's greatest upgrade is a nightmare for phone snoops GQ UK · John McCann
- Hands-on with Galaxy S26 Ultra's Privacy Display: the two sets of pixels that lets users toggle the viewing angle to prevent screen peeking is very impressive The Verge · Allison Johnson
Discussion
-
@ssamat
Sameer Samat
on x
...As a preview of what's coming to the next release of Android, we announced a new experience for the Galaxy S26 series: Android works with your AI assistant to navigate apps and get stuff done. Whether it's helping you with your grocery order or navigating a delivery app, Gemi…
-
@thegalox_
Anthony
on x
Galaxy S26 Ultra is here, and with it, big upgrades • Bigger Vapor Chamber • 60w wired & 25w wireless charging • Higher Touch Responsive Display • 10-bit CoE OLED Panel • Bigger camera apertures • New 16/1TB configuration Pre-order here: https://www.samsung.com/... [image]
-
@mrwhosetheboss
Arun Maini
on x
Samsung S26 Ultra vs S25 Ultra - the key camera improvements: Photos are more detailed. When we crop into my face here you can see my eyebrows are more defined and skin has a little more texture. Nothing revolutionary, but noticeable (1/3) [image]
-
@theonecid
Cid
on x
@Mrwhosetheboss I CANT BELIEVE THEY REALLY WENT BACK TO ALUMINUM FRAME Thanks Apple
-
@cartidise
Noah Cat
on x
Samsung compares the battery video playback of the S26 Ultra with the S24 Ultra by default and when you switch it to the S25 Ultra, it literally says 0 HOURS LONGER video playback LMAOOOOOO 😭 [video]
-
@thegalox_
Anthony
on x
Galaxy S26 Ultra has Samsung's largest vapor chamber ever [image]
-
@nirave
@nirave
on x
⚙️ @Qualcomm #Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy 🗄️ 12GB/16GB RAM, 256GB/512GB/1TB storage 🎨 Android 16, One UI 8.5 📸 200MP wide, new brighter F/1.4 aperture 📷 Same 50MP ultrawide camera, f/1.9 🔭 50MP telephoto, new brighter f/2.9 aperture, 5x optical zoom 🔭 10MP telephoto, 3x o…
-
@captain2phones
Michael Fisher
on x
Samsung has also finally brought charging speed that lives up to its “Super Fast” branding, with 60W top-up on a cable, and 25W wireless (on the Galaxy S26 Ultra only). These speeds fall short of some competitors, and the battery capacity stays at 5,000 mAh for something like th…
-
@mkbhd
Marques Brownlee
on x
Galaxy S26 Ultra's new “privacy display” feature is pretty damn cool. Here's the full new video on the rest of the details: https://www.youtube.com/... [video]
-
@captain2phones
Michael Fisher
on x
Unfortunately, Samsung still refuses to add magnets to its phones. Two years after the Qi2 spec was finalized (and six months after Google added PixelSnap to its own phones) you still can't charge a Galaxy on MagSafe, or use any other stick-on accessories like wallets, without a…
-
@captain2phones
Michael Fisher
on x
Hands-down the most interesting feature of the S26 Ultra: the new Privacy Display. Samsung spent five years developing a screen that could do the same job as the stick-on privacy protectors that prevent “shoulder surfing” ... but this one can be toggled on and off at will. Even…