- The Galaxy S26 Ultra comes with a new Privacy Display
- Some users complain that it causes eye strain and nausea
- Other Galaxy S226 Ultra owners don’t see any issues
Samsung’s 2026 flagship phone got plenty of praise in our Galaxy S26 Ultra review, but we’re seeing a significant amount of complaints regarding one of its main selling points: the Privacy Display, which hides what’s on the screen from those around you.
This is done through some clever display technology trickery, and you can turn it on or off in your phone’s settings. However, as reported by Android Police and others, a number of users believe that the display upgrade is not very easy on the eyes.
“The new screen makes me sick,” claims one Redditor returning their Galaxy S26 Ultra handset, while others complain of eye strain or find the screen blurry compared to their previous smartphone screen.
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Of course, this doesn’t affect everyone – as you’ll see if you scroll down the Reddit threads, some users have no issues at all with the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s screen, and we didn’t see any issues when we reviewed the device ourselves. In fact, overall the reaction to the phone has been very positive.
Compromised screen quality?
Since most people say that they can’t notice anything unusual on the Galaxy S26 Ultra screen after turning off Privacy Mode, there seems to be no point in continuing this discussion. All I can say is: good luck to everyone. Hopefully when you move on to the S27 Ultra, S28 Ultra or…March 9, 2026
Some of the biggest tipsters on X weigh in on the controversy, with Tarun Vats saying the screen makes their eyes feel “tired and a bit uncomfortable” (with screenshots attached) and Ice Universe also less than impressed.
Samsung hasn’t shared too many details about how Privacy Display works, but it essentially limits the light emitted by individual pixels. This means that the screen (or certain parts of it) can only be seen directly in front of it.
However, even with Privacy Display disabled (which is the default setting), there are complaints on Samsung’s forums and social media about a downgrading of display quality – perhaps a necessary trade-off for the added privacy option.
It’s worth remembering that there were similar complaints about eye strain when Apple rolled out its Liquid Glass update to iOS, though such complaints seemed to have died down in the months since iOS 26’s initial rollout.
In any case, Samsung’s new display technology seems to affect different users in different ways. If you are a new Galaxy S26 Ultra owner, have you experienced eye strain? Let us know in the comments.
We discussed Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra, its privacy screen and more in the latest episode of the TechRadar Podcast. Check it out below!
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