A new technology integrated into the display allows the contents to be invisible to those around, without adhesive films. The function activates only when needed, for the apps of your choice.
More out of boredom than curiosity, our eyes often fall on the screens of those around us. It happens at the bar or on the subway, with your seat neighbor on the train or plane. Thus it happens that we intercept, even without wanting to, moments of intimacy or sensitive information: photos of a dating profile, bursts of confidence with a partner, the balance of a bank account.
We are the others, someone sang, so we in turn are quite helpless victims of the same situation. Of course, the solution already exists: privacy films exist, but it is a permanent sticker that devalues your phoneit attenuates its brightness, if we are clumsy (and we are) it fills it with bubbles.
A new normality
With the «Privacy Screen» function, just introduced by Samsung on the new Galaxy S26 Ultraeverything changes. And it’s the first time we’ve seen something like this on a smartphone. What happens is that a piece of analog hardware (the film) it turns into intelligent softwarewhich adapts to different situations.
It works like this: just lower the main curtain by sliding your finger from bottom to top to reach a submenu that allows you to start and customize the function. There are two intensities: a more attenuated one, which blurs the vision of those around us; a maxim, which it almost makes the contents of the display disappearunless you look at it head-on. Which should remain our exclusive prerogative.
Everyone chooses what to hide
The engineers of the Korean company have worked on the dispersion of light, allowing it to be opened and closed at will based on the user’s desire. Samsung’s genius lies here: in the flexibility, in the customization. For example, we can decide which apps to apply it to: yes to social networks and the bank one, no to the news one, streaming music, games and other harmless screens, which others can peek at at will, it makes no difference anyway.
Still, it can be activated when you enter a pin or password or notifications from messaging apps. And yes, at this point some mischief comes naturally. The Galaxy S26 Ultra is proof against jealous partners, it helps to be extremely reserved: Another feature is the private album, integrated directly into the gallery, to easily hide images and videos without creating a separate folder. The telephone evolves further: it becomes a chamber of secrets.
A bath of light
The camera has always been the strong point of Samsung’s flagship phone. Some certainties already appreciated in the past remain, like 5x optical zoom which brings the details well with the complicity of digital magnification, but in this new generation the focal aperture has been improved to capture even more light. So at night, when the brightness is low or in dark environments, the images take a further leap forward.
Shake-proof
Videos also perform better, thanks to another smart feature: the horizontal block. Let’s imagine we are on a very uneven surface or in a precarious position: even if we rotate the smartphone (or worse risk falling), our recording is not compromised. Indeed, despite tossing and other interference, the video will still seem very stable. The Galaxy S26 Ultra takes care of keeping the bar straight, deleting superfluous pieces of the scene, for example when by mistake, carelessness or situations beyond our control we rotate the phone vertically, even for just a few moments.
Evolution of the species
Compared to the previous model, there are leaps in quality that become evident in daily use. For example, a 19 percent higher processor performance yield; The fast charging battery supports a 60W adapter: 75 percent of autonomy is recovered in about half an hour.
Another improvement concerns on-board artificial intelligence: «The new Galaxy S26 makes AI truly intuitive because it doesn’t present it as a separate function, but as a built-in layer that works in the backgroundreducing the distance between intention and action. With the S26 series we inaugurate a new phase of “agentic” AI as intelligence does not simply respond to a command, but understands context and suggests or takes actions proactively» tells Panorama.it Nicolò Bellorini, vice president and head of the Mobile eXperience Business of Samsung Italia.
Bellorini therefore extends the reasoning to the other two phones unveiled by Samsung: Galaxy S26, with 6.3-inch display, and Galaxy S26+, 6.7-inchwhile the S26 Ultra has a 6.9-inch screen. So everyone can choose the model of the desired size, leaving access to first level functions.
«Even the photographic experience» adds the Samsung manager «follows the same logic: tools like Photo Assistant allow you to edit an image simply by describing the desired result in natural languagewithout technical skills or external apps. AI is no longer a tool, but an invisible assistant that simplifies the creative flow. This is possible thanks to a balance between hardware and software: the customized Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset allows process more and more functions directly on-devicequickly and safely.”
Colors and sales forecasts
The entire series is available in the same color shades: Cobalt Violet, White, Black and Sky Blue as well as the exclusive Samsung.com Pink Gold and Silver Shadow colors, available exclusively online. «We expect a very positive reception» predicts Bellorini: Italy is a mature country in the premium segment and particularly sensitive to photographic quality, design and ease of use. The Galaxy S26 series combines the best Galaxy camera system ever with a unified and slim design and an Ai experience that is felt in everyday life. In a continuously and rapidly evolving market, the goal is to make Galaxy Ai experiences increasingly accessible and widespread, progressively extending them beyond the flagship range. At the same time, we aim to strengthen and consolidate our leadership in the iPhone segment also in 2026.”
When does it arrive and how much does it cost
The three models can be booked from today. Galaxy S26 starts at 1,029 euros, Galaxy S26+ from 1,289 euros (both in the 12GB + 512GB version). Galaxy S26 Ultra it will be purchasable in the following configurations: in the 12GB + 256GB version at 1,499 eurosin the 12GB + 512GB version for 1,699 euros. The maximum size is the 16GB + 1TB combination at 1,999 euros. By purchasing it from 25 February 2026 to 10 March included from operators and online retailers and on the Samsung.com website, it is possible to have the 1TB version at the price of 1,799 euros, the 512GB version at 1,499 euros.
