I tried the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Here's why Apple should worry.
I walked into Galaxy Unpacked, the launch event in San Francisco where the company unveiled its Galaxy S26 lineup, as... well, not quite a card-carrying Apple fan, but let's just say my iPhone, iPad, AirPods, and MacBook came with me. 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 really compelling reason to switch to the Samsung side. But that's exactly what happened when I spent some hands-on time at Unpacked with the top-of-the-range device.
It's not about the thinness and lightness of the S26 Ultra, though that is noticeable. The deep, shiny "cobalt violet" shade is very much my vibe, though even the most alluring purple color isn't likely to make me end a 17-year relationship with iPhones.
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And it isn't about the Ultra's camera, as undeniably fantastic as its specs are. I did think I might prefer that slim 3-camera notch on the back to the hideously large bump (which we're supposed to call a plateau) on the iPhone 17... until I put the Galaxy S26 Ultra on a table, screen up ... and it tilted noticeably to one side. Oh, I found myself thinking, so that's why Apple went with the bump.
No, it was one privacy screen feature that bewitched me. Not the S26 Ultra's ability to prevent what Samsung called "shoulder surfing," but an option the company barely flagged at all in its keynote — the ability to limit the privacy screen to your notifications alone.
Privacy, please
Sure, "shoulder surfing" can sometimes be a problem in a crowded situation, such as public transit, if you happen to be looking at something sensitive. (But really, can't it just wait until you get off the bus?)
In our smartphone-driven world, however, there's a problem we come across more frequently — a situation where we actively want to share something on our screen, be it a hilarious meme or a takeout menu, but feel anxious about the possibility of revealing messages popping up while we do so.
I'm not the only person who has had to get very good at pretending I didn't just see that very personal message pop up on a friend's phone while they were really eager to show me something else. Nor am I the only smartphone user who tries hard to remember to activate "Do Not Disturb" before such potentially embarrassing moments.
So if Samsung can just block out some of the screen for folks at your shoulder, that's a game-changer. And it seems they can, really effectively. In the photo above, you can see how the Ultra is barely tilted away, but the notification is already very greyed out. Your friends (if they're good friends) don't usually want to see your private missives anyway; even this minimal angle assists their brains in blocking it out before it disappears.
Tilt the screen any further, and the notification is as thoroughly redacted as a reluctantly released DOJ document.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra's privacy screen settings are surprisingly customizable, too. The ability to pick and choose which apps always get the privacy screen treatment is a no-brainer when you think about it; you're probably always going to want to keep your banking app private, for example. We're sure you're thinking of other examples right now. 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 right now, for this iPhone fanboy, is "maybe." And that should terrify Apple into action, assuming they aren't already working on a similar feature for the iPhone 18.
Your move, Tim Cook.
Chris 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.' Hailing from the U.K., Chris got his start as a sub editor on national newspapers. He 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 magazine. He has served as senior editor for Business 2.0, and West Coast editor for Fortune Small Business and Fast Company. Chris is a graduate of Merton College, Oxford and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He is also a long-time volunteer at 826 Valencia, the nationwide after-school program co-founded by author Dave Eggers. His book on the history of Star Wars is an international bestseller and has been translated into 11 languages.
