After testing phones over the last few years, hardly anything surprises me anymore. Bigger sensors, faster chips and brighter displays, I’ve seen it all. Most of the time, the new “IT” factor revolves around hardware upgrades in these areas. When a phone really makes me think, “Okay, that’s pretty clever,” it feels like a breath of fresh air.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra does just that. Beyond the flagship specs and typical annual hardware updates, Samsung’s latest and greatest device packs a host of thoughtful features that quietly improve everyday use, and that’s what I love about it.
Now Nudge is turning the AI hype into a practical savior
Are you tired of AI being shoved in your face at every turn? Samsung’s Now Nudge is an unobtrusive assistant that does its work in the background. This isn’t a flashy AI assistant that makes you try out new features. Instead, it works quietly and offers timely suggestions that may be useful.
Samsung’s own example sums it up. If someone asks you to share travel photos, the S26 Ultra can guide you to the right gallery items instead of making you dig through albums. When a message mentions a meeting, relevant calendar context and potential conflicts can be displayed. This is the kind of AI that respects your time and attention. His strength is his subtlety.
Now Nudge works by having the AI read your message thread, which triggers some warning signals. However, Samsung claims that AI processing is done on-device. A small detail that many have missed is that the feature requires a Samsung account and availability may vary by region and apps.
Privacy Display is pure spy technology
When early leaks suggested a privacy display feature, it didn’t sound particularly groundbreaking. But after seeing it in action, I quickly realize that it’s one of those ideas that makes you wonder why it wasn’t done properly before. Older implementations of such a feature included either the use of a privacy filter screen or a software feature that used the front camera to warn you of spy eyes.
Neither is very practical, but Samsung has you covered. It integrates data protection directly into the system’s user interface and display. The screen intelligently limits the viewing angle without compromising brightness or readability. Samsung uses narrower pixels and controls how the light is projected. When turned on, it limits side-angle visibility while keeping the screen clear for you. It also apparently works when you switch between portrait and landscape orientation.
Check it out in action below:
What I like best is that it’s not just “all or nothing.” Samsung gives you plenty of useful options when activating (entering PIN/passwords), selecting specific apps, and even using partial screen privacy for things like notification pop-ups, with a maximum privacy mode for more aggressive hiding.
Horizontal Lock looks like a magic trick
Before I get into the details, I’ll give you a real demo of this cool feature.
And here’s another one:
While Privacy Display got the most attention, I was most intrigued by the new super-stabilized video mode. It feels like a mix of software wizardry and clever use of hardware. In plain language, it is an improved Super Steady mode that maintains the quality of your recordings even when you move.
In use, the S26 Ultra managed to take flat shots even after a full 360-degree rotation. Samsung combines data from the phone’s gyroscope and accelerometer with software processing to capture the horizon. It’s really one of those “you have to see it to believe it” features, and I even had to look it up after the official announcement to see how it works.
The summary
Samsung’s best “wow” moments weren’t its over-the-top hardware upgrades like the massive battery capacities of Chinese phones; They were simply quality-of-life updates aimed at how people actually use phones in public, at work, and on the go.
Now Nudge is the real AI usage (quiet, contextual), Privacy Display is the rare privacy feature you want to enable every day, and Horizontal Lock is one of those camera upgrades that makes your videos look better without any additional effort or peripherals.
With the Ultra on the front, the rest of the Galaxy S26 lineup feels pretty secure and iterative. Aside from predictable technical changes, there’s not much that really stands out. These thoughtful upgrades keep the S26 Ultra from becoming just another routine refresh every year. It also helps define its identity as a true Samsung flagship and gives it a personality of its own. With features like these, I’m much more interested in the “little things” than chasing headline specs.
