The cheap $15 privacy cover from the local shopping centre won’t cut it if you need good data protection, according to Samsung, but the company’s “breakthrough” display in its new $2100+ smartphones apparently will.
This comes as the global leader showcased the hugely hyped built-in feature at Galaxy Unpacked, allowing users to prevent “shoulder surfing” in a more flexible and durable way than traditional films.
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In a roundtable following the launch, Samsung’s CEO, President and Head of Device eXperience (DX) Division, TM Roh, said “strengthening privacy” is especially necessary as artificial intelligence continues to develop.
“To support the optimum operations and use of the AI features, we will continue to relentlessly develop our hardware, software and AI at the same time,” he added.
Popular tech creator Miles Franklin (@MilesAboveTech) gave a live demo on at the launch, sharing how quickly it takes to black out an entire screen from people who could be peering over from the side.
“It’s seriously one of the coolest features I’ve seen on a phone in years,” he said.
“I can keep whatever’s on my screen private, but I can also share my screen with my friends. It’s like a privacy film I can turn off and on whenever I want. It’s a real game changer”.
And as with many things Galaxy, the function is easily customisable and can be tailored to hide certain notifications or smaller areas of the screen.
There are two privacy levels to choose from, including Partial Screen Privacy for limiting pop-ups and Maximum Privacy Protection to reduce visibility for pretty much anyone who doesn’t have the same head-on view.
Samsung Australia’s Nathan Rigger, Head of Product, Mobile eXperience, says the new privacy function essentially uses a mix of clever pixel technology and software to create a levelled-up version of the privacy screen protectors that many people already use.
“In the display, we use a combination of narrow and wide pixels. When you turn the Privacy Display on, it’ll turn off the wide pixels and limit the viewing angle so the narrow pixels send light to a particular direction. There are also some other changes we’ve made to the walls that sort of segment the pixels to stop light from leaking,” he explained to news.com.au checkout.
“I think the really cool thing about Privacy Display is that it allows the user to be able to personalise and customise. If I’m on a bus or a train, I don’t want the person next to me looking at all my banking transactions. I can have it turned on specifically for banking, or I can have it cover my pins, patterns or passwords.
“It really puts privacy in the user’s hands.”
But while Samsung points out there’s “minimal impact to power or usability”, users can still expect some sacrifices such as a dimmer screen and difficulties when showing things to friends.
Considering the S25 Ultra made up 67 per cent of Galaxy S25 sales across South-East Asia and Oceania, according to Mr Roh, it’s unsurprising the setting is currently only available in the newly launched S26 Ultra. Although it could be expanded to other devices similar to Samsung’s previous model-exclusive capabilities.
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