From Samsung Knox to Privacy Display: how the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra protects your privacy

(Image credit: Samsung)

Privacy Display is one of the headline features of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra — it’s a tool you won’t find on any other phone, and it keeps your screen hidden from unwelcome observers when you’re out in public, or just any time there are people around.

Essentially, when Privacy Display is enabled it uses advanced display technology to severely limit visibility when the screen is viewed from the side — as it likely would be by most snoopers. But it’s still crystal clear when viewed front-on, so this doesn’t compromise your own ability to view the screen.

You can customise Privacy Display too though, so that it only triggers to protect things that you consider sensitive. That could mean having it automatically enable for specific apps, or for whenever you’re entering a PIN, pattern, or password.

Cleverly, you can even choose to have Privacy Display only obscure notification pop-ups, with the rest of the screen remaining fully visible.

So whether you’re logging in to your banking app on your commute, reading a family group chat in the office, or checking confidential work messages at home, Privacy Display can ensure that no one but you sees what’s on your screen.

(Image credit: Samsung)

We’ve covered ways the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra keeps your content private from the people around you and how it gives you tools to control access when sharing things, but what about online threats? Well, it has you covered there too, thanks to Samsung Knox.

Samsung Knox is a comprehensive security suite that’s built into the phone, protecting your data in the apps you use, the messages you send, and the sites you browse.

It does all this without extra setup, so you don’t need to worry about configuring it, and it’s secure enough to be classed as defence-grade, as well as having met various security certification requirements.

It includes both hardware and software authentication to defend against hacks, and it encrypts your data, keeping it safe in the event of your device being lost or stolen too.

This makes the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra the ideal choice if you have sensitive work data on your phone, but Samsung Knox is also reassuring to have just for everyday security and keeping your personal data safe.

(Image credit: Samsung)

Phishing calls are another threat to your privacy, with bad actors trying to trick you into giving up sensitive information or granting them access to your accounts, but the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra also has a trick up its sleeve to combat that.

With Call Screening, you can choose to automatically screen any incoming calls from suspected spam or phishing numbers — or simply from all unknown numbers. Then, when a relevant call comes in, call assistant will answer it for you, asking the caller who they are and why they’re calling.

You’ll see their response appear on your phone’s screen, and can then choose whether or not to answer the call. If you suspect it’s a phishing attempt or other scam — or you simply don’t want to take the call — you can ignore it, reject it, or use Text Call to have the AI speak on your behalf.