[Q&A] "After 5 Years of Hard Work, This Feature... Engineers Cheer for Galaxy S26 Launch"

Samsung Hardware Chief Moon Sunghoon Holds Briefing
Multiple Patents Secured for Privacy Display
Foldable Implementation Possible Depending on Consumer Response

Moon Sunghoon, Vice President in charge of hardware at Samsung Electronics' MX Division, held a hardware briefing in San Francisco, USA, on the 26th of last month (local time) and introduced the privacy display feature implemented on the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

On the 26th of last month (local time), at the Galaxy Hardware Innovation Briefing held in San Francisco, USA, Moon Sunghoon, Vice President of Hardware at Samsung Electronics' MX Division, is seen explaining. Provided by Samsung Electronics

According to Vice President Moon, this feature was developed entirely in-house by Samsung Electronics and Samsung Display, following about five years of research and development and trial and error. He shared the internal atmosphere, saying, "There are many engineers in Korea who are cheering and celebrating now that the Galaxy S26 Ultra has been released to the world." He added, "It will probably be difficult for others to create a privacy display without circumventing our patents," and stressed, "For the time being, this will remain an exclusive experience for Galaxy users."

The following is a Q&A between Vice President Moon and the press.

-What was the decisive reason for developing the privacy display?

▲We do our best to provide the best display user experience through our products. However, we noticed that, unfortunately, customers were applying polarized films, which prevented them from enjoying the best image quality. This made us realize how important privacy is. We thought about how to solve this issue. We believed that the best solution would be to address privacy concerns while still providing an excellent display experience. We also thought there would be greater value if users could freely turn the feature on and off according to their preferences.

-Could you share any challenges or episodes you experienced during the development of the privacy display?

▲The most difficult part was designing and operating it precisely at the pixel level. When we first developed it, the display appeared blotchy. There were also cases where durability was weak, causing the mode's performance to deteriorate gradually. There were many different processes during development. There was a lot of back-and-forth, with some people suggesting one way and others another. There were also many differing opinions among the development team members. That is probably why it took five years to develop. Now that the Galaxy S26 Ultra has been released, there are many engineers in Korea who are cheering and celebrating.

-Is the privacy display a technology unique to Samsung?

▲We have filed a huge number of patents related to the privacy display. It is a unique technology of Samsung, and it will probably be difficult for others to develop a privacy display without circumventing our patents.

-There is a possibility of selling the privacy display technology to other smartphone manufacturers. Are there any plans for this?

▲We could sell patents, but nothing has been decided yet. I don't think it will be easy, and for now, there are no plans for such a move. Of course, the business environment could change, so we will have to keep an eye on that, but for the time being, this will remain a unique experience for Galaxy users.

Visitors experience the privacy display feature of the Galaxy S26 Ultra at the 'Galaxy Studio' opened at Samsung Store Hongdae. Provided by Samsung Electronics

-Is it possible that additional functions could be added to the privacy display through future updates?

▲I believe we can further advance this technology. For example, even if I haven't set privacy mode, it could automatically activate if someone approaches me. Since the device communicates with base stations in real time via radio waves, if there are no signals nearby, the mode will remain off, but if there are a lot of people around, it could automatically recognize that you're in a public place and turn the mode on. Through collaboration with app developers, we may also be able to apply the feature to specific areas within certain applications.

-When using the privacy display feature, is there any deterioration in image quality or display experience?

▲When privacy mode is activated, we keep the brightness the same and prevent any degradation in image quality by increasing the power to the narrow pixels while reducing the power to the wide pixels. We have fine-tuned it so that the experience is almost identical, whether in normal mode or privacy mode. The difference is so subtle that it's virtually unnoticeable to the human eye.

-At MWC 2024, Samsung Display showcased this technology for the first time as "Flex Magic Pixel Technology." How did Samsung Display and Samsung Electronics divide their roles?

▲The very first company to propose creating a privacy display was the MX Division at Samsung Electronics. We conducted discussions, brainstorming, and research, and filed various patents. Since we needed to request our partner to manufacture the display, we began joint development under the Samsung name, working together with Samsung Display. Both companies combined their process capabilities and driving methods, making it a joint effort. Each company holds separate patents.

-Is there a possibility that the privacy display will be implemented on foldables or the A series, in addition to the Galaxy S Ultra models?

▲The Ultra model serves as a messenger that showcases Samsung's latest technology to the world first. After the launch of the Ultra model, we will closely monitor customer reactions and various factors. If the response is positive and we secure internal supply stability, we are open to expanding the privacy display to foldable devices. However, since additional display processes are required, it will not be easy to achieve the price competitiveness necessary to include it in the A series.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.