Similar to the SureView feature on HP EliteBook laptops and the PrivacyGuard feature on Lenovo ThinkPads, Samsung has now equipped the Galaxy S26 Ultra with a new Privacy Screen feature. Other smartphone OEMs are set to copy the aforementioned feature, starting with the Xiaomi 18 series later this year. The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra may not arrive with a comprehensive list of upgrades compared to its predecessor, but hands-on reviews have confirmed the presence of the new Privacy Screen feature. It looks like this feature is set to be adopted by other OEMs in no time.
As revealed by Digital Chat Station, the new privacy screen feature is already being tested by Chinese OEMs and is set to appear in next-generation flagship phones later this year. The leaker did not name the exact brands that will copy the hardware-based feature but claims that new phones featuring it will arrive in September, strongly hinting that Xiaomi’s 18 series phones will be early adopters.
Other Chinese OEMs like Oppo and Vivo will presumably follow suit in the months following the release of the Xiaomi 18 series. Most people may not consider the Privacy Screen feature itself exceptional, but it is a practical quality-of-life feature that effectively makes privacy screen protectors obsolete while also allowing users to decide when they want to hide the contents of their phone’s screen from prying eyes.
