Samsung S26 Ultra Hands-On: A Practical Powerhouse with a Groundbreaking Privacy Screen and Smarter AI

On March 19, we had the opportunity to get a hands-on experience with the new Samsung S26 Ultra. The event, held in a venue rich with traditional Lingnan style, provided a unique backdrop to explore the latest in Galaxy AI. Let's dive straight into the key features that make this device stand out.

 

Samsung S26 Ultra Hands-On: A Practical Powerhouse with a Groundbreaking Privacy Screen and Smarter AI

 

Return of Armored Aluminum, Major Charging Upgrade

This year, the S26 Ultra focuses heavily on practical upgrades. It abandons the gimmicky materials of the past and addresses several pain points from previous generations, creating a more pragmatic and promising device. First, the S26 Ultra reverts from titanium to Armored Aluminum. The 6.9-inch body is just 7.9mm thick and weighs only 214g, offering an excellent grip. While titanium is stronger, it has faced issues with color processing and poor heat dissipation. The switch to aluminum is crucial for managing the heat from the custom, higher-frequency Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, ensuring sustained performance.

 

Samsung S26 Ultra Hands-On: A Practical Powerhouse with a Groundbreaking Privacy Screen and Smarter AI

 

Samsung has finally upgraded the S26 Ultra to 60W fast charging, a welcome change from the long-standing 45W protocol. Our tests show a charging speed increase of nearly 20%. Furthermore, the entire S26 series now natively supports the Qi2 magnetic wireless charging standard at a peak power of 25W, up from 15W. In practice, this cuts wireless charging time by at least 50%, transforming it from a marginal feature into a genuinely useful one.

World's First Privacy Screen, Impressive in Practice

The S26 Ultra introduces the world's first Privacy Display, a second-generation Dynamic AMOLED screen developed by Samsung. It features a new "privacy mode" that can be activated manually or automatically. When enabled, such as when opening photo albums, payment apps, or messaging apps, the screen becomes virtually unreadable to anyone viewing from an angle greater than 45 degrees. Unlike traditional privacy screen protectors that permanently dim the display and affect color accuracy, Samsung has integrated a directional light control structure at the pixel level. This technology acts like a built-in set of blinds, maintaining a full 120° viewing angle in normal mode while restricting light to a narrow angle in privacy mode, all without significant loss of brightness or color for the user.

The "Concert Artifact" Gets Another Upgrade

The camera system remains a major selling point. The S26 Ultra features a quad-camera setup with a 200MP main sensor boasting an upgraded f/1.4 aperture for about 40% more light intake. This results in cleaner images and better dynamic range. The system also includes a 50MP ultra-wide lens, a 10MP 3x optical telephoto, and a 50MP 5x optical telephoto, both with OIS. The larger aperture and enhanced AI algorithms significantly improve low-light performance, making it even better for concert photography. A new "Super Horizontal Stabilization" mode keeps video footage perfectly level, even during intense movement, and an AI-powered auto face tracking feature automatically crops the frame to keep your subject centered.

 

Samsung S26 Ultra Hands-On: A Practical Powerhouse with a Groundbreaking Privacy Screen and Smarter AI

 

AI That's Practical, Not a Gimmick

Galaxy AI is at the core of the S26 Ultra experience, with a clear focus on practicality. The "Intelligent Photo Editing" function now includes generative modifications based on text commands. For instance, you can ask it to "put the owner's shirt on the cat in the picture and create a composite photo," and the system accurately identifies, isolates, and merges the subjects. The "Real-time Translation Assistant" now integrates with Galaxy Buds, delivering translated audio directly to your ear for more seamless conversations. Furthermore, Galaxy AI extends into health management with a new "Energy Score" feature (used with a Galaxy Watch) that analyzes activity, sleep, and heart rate data to provide a simple, intuitive report on your body's energy levels.

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