Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra - The Magic Screen

Summary

Dave2D shares first impressions of Samsung’s Galaxy S26 lineup and Galaxy Buds 4 series, focusing on the S26 Ultra’s new privacy-display technology.

S26 Ultra: Flex Magic Pixel display

• The OLED display’s Privacy Filter makes the screen difficult to read from off angles while keeping it clear when viewed head-on.
• The feature can be enabled across the entire display, for selected apps such as messaging, or specifically for notifications. It can also be turned off.
• The effect becomes noticeable at roughly a 45–50° angle and grows stronger at steeper angles. The screen is not completely unreadable at first, and it gets slightly dimmer with the feature enabled—especially at high brightness.
• Samsung says the panel uses both wide-angle and narrow-angle pixels. Dave2D’s microscope inspection suggested that privacy mode dims about half the pixels, which he suspects are the wide-angle ones. Samsung has not disclosed the exact mechanism.
• Compared with a conventional privacy screen protector, Samsung’s feature is more configurable, works from both side and top-down angles, and can be switched off. Dave2D says he would use it for sensitive apps such as banking and email.

Other phone changes

• The S26 Ultra is thinner and lighter than its predecessor, has more rounded corners, and uses an aluminum frame instead of titanium. Its S Pen must now be inserted in the correct orientation to sit flush.
• The base S26 has a slightly larger screen and battery than the S25, but it is also larger and heavier—a drawback for people who valued the smaller size.
• The S26 Plus and S26 Ultra retain their previous battery sizes but gain faster charging.
• The Ultra’s camera lenses have wider apertures to let in more light. Dave2D reserved judgment on camera performance until he can test a review unit.

Galaxy Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro

• The Buds 4 Pro have a redesigned look, larger drivers, and black and white color options. In a brief test, Dave2D found them comfortable and said they sounded better to him than AirPods Pro 3. He also measured them, while noting that his comparison reflects his impression of what listeners might prefer in a blind test.
• The Pro model offers five levels of ambient passthrough and five ANC levels. Dave2D found the highest passthrough setting natural-sounding and maximum ANC very strong.
• The standard Buds 4 omit the silicone seal. Dave2D thought they sounded good but did not have the tools to measure them.

Pricing and overall assessment

• The base S26 and S26 Plus each cost $100 more than their predecessors in the U.S. Dave2D suggests higher RAM costs may help explain the increase.
• He considers the S26 Ultra’s privacy display the most interesting new feature, while emphasizing that his comments are early impressions rather than a full review.

Main speaker/source: Dave2D, presenting hands-on observations and initial testing.