- Samsung acknowledges variations in Galaxy S26 Ultra screen brightness
- It is a product of the new Privacy Display feature
- It is unlikely to affect the user experience
Is the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra screen slightly dimmer due to the new Privacy screen technology? The short answer is yes. However, I just received the more considered response from Samsung, and it definitely sheds light on the screen brightness controversy.
Last week, I reported how the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra’s 6.9-inch display, based on both benchmarks and my own tests, looks slightly less bright than the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s display when viewed at an angle.
These tests confirmed results from both other technical publications and our own Future Labs test results, which found slight variations in nits and color density, both of which favored the S25 Ultra.
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When I wrote the story I asked Samsung for a comment. It did not respond before publication, but it has now provided me with an official statement which reads as follows:
“Privacy Display is designed to protect the user’s privacy by providing a vivid visual experience for using the phone in normal cases. Some variations will be visible when the phone is held at certain angles and when set to maximum brightness, however any impact on actual use when holding the phone should be negligible.”
It’s real
Let’s start with the obvious. Samsung doesn’t deny that “some variation” will be seen, and it’s implicit in their statement that Privacy display (pixel-level technology that hides your screen from prying eyes viewing it from other angles) is to blame. The caveats are of course that the phone must be “held at certain angles” and that it is also necessary to set it to maximum brightness.
However, I tend to agree with Samsung’s assessment that the impact of these variations is negligible. I never noticed it during my first test. To test the theory, I had to put it next to the S25 Ultra, make sure the brightness settings on the S26 Ultra and the older phone matched, and then view them from an angle to really see the brightness difference.
Also, when I lowered the brightness as Samsung instructed, I actually noticed less of a variation.
Is this the end of ‘PrivacyDisplayGate’? Probably. While there were some on Reddit reporting nausea and eye strain from using the Privacy Display, I experienced none of that, and that’s despite spending hours at a time using the flagship phone.
Ultimately, the Privacy Display is one of the reasons I loved this phone, calling it in my review, “a true bit of display hardware innovation that has no equivalent on any other modern smartphone.” Although it shaves the tiniest bit of brightness off the screen, I think it’s worth it and I stand by my assessment of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra.
Do you own a Galaxy S26 Ultra? How has your experience been? Let us know in the comments below.
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