This week Apple unveiled its first foldable iPhone and two other high-end models, the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. Both phones bring faster processors, a variable-aperture camera and larger batteries, but neither includes Samsung’s Privacy Display, a feature introduced with the Galaxy S26 Ultra — leaving iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max users exposed to shoulder surfing.
Apple has begun offering an anti-reflective coating on recent iPhones, a move inspired by the Galaxy S24 Ultra, but the company has not implemented the Privacy Display capability that Samsung debuted with the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
How Privacy Display works
Privacy Display is powered by Samsung Display’s Flex Magic Pixel OLED panel, which uses two types of pixels: wide-angle and narrow-angle. Narrow-angle pixels are surrounded by a multi-layer Black Matrix structure that prevents emitted light from traveling sideways. When Privacy Display is active, the wide-angle pixels are switched off and only the narrow-angle pixels remain lit; because their light travels straight forward, bystanders cannot see what is on the screen.
The feature can block others from viewing sensitive content such as confidential files or private notifications. It can be applied to the entire screen or limited to a specific area, toggled on or off per app, and scheduled to activate automatically — for example when the phone is used outside a home or other safe location. Privacy Display can also be set to turn on based on conditions like location, Wi‑Fi connection, time of day or battery level.
