I tried the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Heres why Apple should worry.
Source: Mashable Tech
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Chris Taylor – veteran tech, entertainment and culture journalist, author of How Star Wars Conquered the Universe, co‑host of the Doctor Who podcast Pull to Open, graduate of Merton College, Oxford and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and longtime volunteer at 826 Valencia.
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It’s what you don’t see. – Credit: Chris Taylor / Mashable
I walked into Unpacked, the event in San Francisco where Samsung unveiled its Galaxy S26 lineup as… well, not exactly a card‑carrying Apple fan, but with my iPhone, iPad, AirPods and MacBook in tow. I was there to report on the launch, not to be tempted by anything an Android phone could offer.
The last thing I expected was the Galaxy S26 Ultra giving me a truly compelling reason to switch to the Samsung side. Yet that’s exactly what happened after some hands‑on time with the top‑of‑the‑range device.
It’s not just the thinness and lightness of the S26 Ultra—though those are noticeable. The deep, shiny “cobalt violet” shade is very much my vibe, even if the most alluring purple isn’t likely to end my 17‑year relationship with iPhones.
It isn’t even about the Ultra’s camera, as undeniably fantastic as its specs are (compare the S26 Ultra to the S25 Ultra). I thought I might prefer the slim three‑camera notch on the back to the hideously large bump (which we’re now calling a plateau on the iPhone 17) – until I placed the Galaxy S26 Ultra on a table, screen up, and it tilted noticeably to one side. “Oh,” I thought, “so that’s why Apple went with the bump.”
No, it was one privacy‑screen feature that truly bewitched me. Not the S26 Ultra’s ability to prevent what Samsung calls “shoulder surfing,” but an option the company barely flagged in its keynote: the ability to limit the privacy screen to your notifications alone.
Privacy, please
Credit: Chris Taylor / Mashable
“Don’t ruin the surprise!”
Shoulder‑surfing can be a problem on crowded public transit when you’re looking at something sensitive. (But really, can it just wait until you get off the bus?)
— Mashable Light Speed
In our smartphone‑driven world, we often want to share something on our screen—a funny meme, a take‑out menu—while worrying that a private notification might pop up. I’m not the only person who has had to pretend I didn’t see a very personal message on a friend’s phone, nor the only one who remembers to enable Do Not Disturb before potentially embarrassing moments.
If Samsung can block part of the screen from a shoulder’s view, that’s a game‑changer. In the photo above, the Ultra is barely tilted, yet the notification is already heavily greyed‑out. A slightly larger tilt makes the notification as thoroughly redacted as a reluctantly‑released DOJ document.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra’s privacy‑screen settings are surprisingly customizable. You can choose which apps always get the privacy‑screen treatment—a no‑brainer for banking apps, for example. The point is you should be free to do you.
So, is this built‑in, highly customizable privacy shield enough to make me switch to the Samsung side of the smartphone divide? The honest answer, as an iPhone fanboy, is maybe. That should terrify Apple into action—assuming they aren’t already working on a similar feature for the iPhone 18.
Your move, Tim Cook.
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About the author
Chris Taylor is a veteran tech, entertainment, and culture journalist, author of How Star Wars Conquered the Universe, and co‑host of the Doctor Who podcast Pull to Open. He began as a sub‑editor on UK national newspapers, moved to the U.S. in 1996, and became senior news writer for Time.com a year later. In 2000 he was named San Francisco bureau chief for Time. He has served as senior editor for Business 2.0, and West Coast editor for Fortune Small Business and Fast Company. Chris graduated from Merton College, Oxford and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He volunteers with 826 Valencia, the after‑school program co‑founded by Dave Eggers. His Star Wars history book is an international bestseller, translated into 11 languages.
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