I Tested Samsung’s Galaxy S26: The New Secret Screen is a Game-Changer for Daters – But the Video Feature Stole the Show!

IT’S a tough act to get everyone’s attention in the smartphone world.

A minor camera boost. Bigger battery. Yawn, yawn, yawn.

Physically, much hasn’t changed on the S26 Ultra from last yearCredit: Jamie Harris / The Sun But there are some exciting new camera featuresCredit: Jamie Harris / The Sun

So it was quite refreshing to get something new and actually useful on .

Privacy is a big matter these days – and not just the virtual from prying tech companies tracking your move online.

The real world privacy threats are just as pressing.

‘s new privacy display is something truly unique that others will no doubt copy.

But is that enough to warrant an upgrade?

As , I get hands-on with smartphones all the time.

And it wasn’t just the privacy display on the S26 Ultra that impressed me…

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Look and feel

The look of the flagship Galaxy S device hasn’t really changed much from last year’s model.

And that’s totally fine because it looks premium and feels it as well.

You wouldn’t notice but Samsung has swapped the titanium frame back to aluminium.

This helps the device stay lighter and thinner, albeit only marginally (214g, 4 grams less than the and 7.9mm thick, down from 8.2mm).

The rounded corners on the Ultra continue to be a highlight.

One noticeable design change is to the camera set up, it’s now tidily kept in a pill shape.

I’m reviewing the cobalt violet model at the moment which looks gorgeous and doesn’t smear too much from sweaty palms like mine.

Other colours include:

• Sky Blue
• Black Shadow
• White Shadow
• Silver Shadow
• Pink Gold

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Performance and features

What you can see from a side angle with the privacy screen off (left) and on (right)Credit: Jamie Harris / The Sun

Under the hood, Samsung has made some key upgrades to keep itself in the fast lane.

Firstly, the chip that keeps everything running smoothly is the latest 8 Elite Gen 5, widely considered the market leader.

And Samsung has also brought back 16GB RAM for the 1TB storage option, so things not only run smooth but also fast, as you switch between multiple power-hungry apps.

I’m only using a 256GB model which has 12GB RAM but it still feels super speedy, I haven’t picked up on a single hiccup or app crash the entire time I’ve been testing.

The S26 range runs on 16, the latest version around, with Samsung’s one One UI on top (which is at version 8.5).

Samsung always blends the best of Google’s Android world with its own pretty well and I love the look of One UI.

I do wish they would stop pushing their own apps so heavily though – I’m quite happy with ‘s calendar app and don’t need Samsung’s, but at least there’s a choice.

Samsung continues to offer seven generations of software and security updates, so this phone could last you quite some time if you take care of it and it’ll still get lots of new features in future.

In terms of features on the phone, I feel like we’re reaching a point of becoming useful instead of gimmicky.

The new Now Nudge offers up information where relevant – so I had a friend ask whether I’m free tomorrow via WhatsApp and a box appeared showing me that I had plans already at that time.

Then there’s the star feature, the privacy screen.

As someone who hates people nosing at my screen on the train home this is a real game changer.

The screen’s pixels magically appear differently depending on the angle you’re look at it from – so for you, looking front on, all appears fine, but anyone from the side only sees a blank screen.

You could be reading sensitive work emails you don’t want anyone to see.

Or you might be a singleton on dating apps and want your saucy exchanges away from prying eyes.

Whatever the reason, it’s great and I love it.

You can even switch it to only work on notifications, when you’re entering your passwords, or for specific apps.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Camera

The camera set-up on the S26 Ultra is virtually unchanged from last year’s S25 Ultra.

This is hardly surprising as we’re reaching a point where it’s becoming harder to push hardware much further, so a lot of focus is going into the software side instead.

For those interested in the exact specs, you’ve got a 200-megapixel main camera with a faster shutter speed to capture moments, as well as a 50-megapixel ultrawide, a 10-megapixel telephoto lens and a 50-megapixel periscope snapper.

On the front it’s a 12-megapixel camera for your selfies.

They take astoundingly good photos – or as one colleague said at a recent drinks “too good that it can see all the details I don’t want you to see on my face”.

And on a walk with friends around the Cotswolds I easily captured vibrant, natural scenery bursting with colour and detail – even when zooming into ducks.

You can see some of my photos below.

But the star feature for me is an insanely good super steady video mode which magically makes the bumpiest of videos look astoundingly smooth.

So imagine you’re filming yourself walking – the tool will iron out those shakes and tilts.

You can even rotate the phone a full 360 degrees and you wouldn’t notice.

Lots of colour – and even a bit of lens flareCredit: Jamie Harris / The Sun Most snaps come out flawless Even zooming in on moving ducks in water maintained a lot of detailCredit: Jamie Harris / The Sun

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Battery

Once again, battery is unchanged on paper, with the same spec as the S25 Ultra at 5,000 mAh.

But it’s those internal efficiencies that mean you should get more life out of your phone.

With a full day’s use, from responding to , to watching on the train, I was always left with at last 25 per cent battery at the end of the day.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Pricing

The Galaxy S26 Ultra starts from £1,279 (£30 up on the starting price for the S25 Ultra last year).

However, we have found ways you can .

And don’t forget, you do get most of the same features on the other S26 models which are cheaper, which begins at £879.

• Galaxy S26 Ultra – buy from Samsung.com