One of the coolest features of the Samsung Galaxy S26 series, probably reserved for the Galaxy S26 Ultra, is the Privacy Display. Using directional OLED pixels and a clever software implementation, the feature can hide the entire screen (or specific parts) when viewed from a certain angle, preventing shoulder surfing in public areas.
We’ve also seen the feature in some hands-on images so far and it looks, well, impressive.
Chinese brands are quite impressed with Samsung’s privacy display
Turns out I wasn’t the only one impressed with the feature. Renowned Chinese tipster Digital Chat Station claims that “domestic manufacturers” (meaning Chinese smartphone makers) are testing a “spy screen.”
It’s essentially a “hardware-level” privacy solution that sounds suspiciously similar to Samsung’s approach. The tipster also shares an image showing how the technology would work in real life (clear from the front, extremely dull from the perspective).
By domestic manufacturers, the tipster probably means brands like Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi or OnePlus, some of which also sell their smartphones outside the Chinese market.
Could privacy screens be a new flagship trend?
“Spy screen” seems like an oversimplification of the technology that protects the screen from evil eyes, but it’s actually the “hardware level” phrase that interests me the most.
Samsung’s version of the feature includes both hardware and software level implementation. According to rumors, the feature can detect when the user enters sensitive information such as passwords or OTPs and automatically darken the corresponding part of the screen.
However, we still have to find out whether the Chinese version of the “hardware-level” solution is just a built-in privacy screen for the screen (in which case it could affect the smartphone’s viewing angle) or includes an on/off switch (which is controlled by the software).
What is clear, however, is that privacy films could become a flagship trend in the coming years, at least initially for Android smartphones, and perhaps we’ll see Apple implement them on an iPhone in two to three years.
