The Galaxy S26 Ultra boasts two new features that every phone should have.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is essentially a minor upgrade, with slight improvements in every aspect: processing speed, battery life, and camera. But there are two particularly outstanding features on this phone that you won't find in previous generations, and in fact, not on any other widely available phone.

 

Privacy Display

 

A practical yet useful feature, Privacy Display is built right into the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. Similar to the anti-spy screen protectors you can buy for laptops or those included in phone screen protector accessories, Privacy Display prevents curious people from peeking at your screen. Normally, if you're in a crowded room, someone to your left or right can see your phone screen and what you're doing. They might be close enough to read messages, even view your banking information or other sensitive data. When Privacy Display is enabled in the settings, anyone peeking will only see a black screen, or at least a significantly dimmed screen.

What people particularly love about Privacy Display, besides its functionality, is that you can manually turn it on and off as needed without having to remove the protective film or cover. You can also set it to activate only when necessary, such as only when you access apps that require a PIN, pattern, or password, like banking or social media apps; only when a notification appears on the screen; or only for certain apps you choose, such as work or social media apps .

Horizontal Lock

 

Horizontal Lock, also known as Horizon Lock, is a feature you should try right out of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra box. It enhances the existing Super Steady Mode for video recording and works similarly to a gimbal without a gimbal, or any other hardware. Instead, it leverages Samsung's internal image signal processing capabilities. Turn this feature on, and as you shoot, the video will remain stable and the subject locked in place. Most impressively, this isn't just true when you're moving on rough terrain, for example, with the phone bouncing up and down or from side to side, but even when you rotate the phone 360°. For example, you might start shooting with the phone horizontally, holding it with two hands, but realize it's easier to hold it vertically with one hand. Do so, and the final video remains stable: nobody will know you've rotated the phone.

Every phone should have these features.

These two features represent truly unique improvements to this phone, something we haven't seen in other smartphones. The Privacy Display is very useful; it's surprising that not every phone has this feature. While it won't prevent curious eyes from peeking over your shoulder when standing behind you in line, it's a great way to ensure privacy in crowded places or while traveling. Whether you're sending a confidential message to a client from the subway, viewing personal information like addresses or IDs, or filling out a form, others can't gather private information by glancing.

Horizon Lock is a fun but not essential feature, and one of the best ways to stabilize video on a smartphone. It's a feature anyone creating content will use regularly. When capturing fleeting moments, you don't have to worry about shaky, hard-to-watch video – like running alongside your child as they score the winning goal in a soccer game, or a video of your dog playing in the park causing viewers headaches due to excessive camera shake.