Samsung has been teasing a significant display upgrade for its Galaxy phones in recent weeks, and now the tech giant appears to have confirmed the upgrade is coming very soon.

As Express.co.uk reported earlier in January, there have been rumours that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S26 series, expected to launch in February, could have a new screen technology that mimics privacy screens and screen protectors.

These screens, and screen protectors people can apply onto the displays of their phones, are only viewable when looked at head-on, meaning people can’t snoop at what’s on your screen when viewed from an angle.

This is great to hide sensitive information in public spaces or to stop phone thieves eyeing up your PIN numbers or passwords.

Samsung has seemingly confirmed the mooted tech for its Galaxy phones in a press release, though the firm is remaining oddly tight lipped considering it has confirmed “a new layer of privacy, coming soon to Galaxy devices”.

“Our phones are our most personal space, but we use them in the least private places. On the bus, in the elevator, and wherever we’re waiting in line, our digital laundry gets aired in plain view,” the firm said. And as phones become more tailored to our routines and preferences, concerns about privacy are only growing.

“That’s why Samsung will soon unveil a new layer of privacy to shield your phone from shoulder surfing wherever you go. You’ll have the space to check your messages or enter a password on public transit without thinking twice about who might be watching.”

Rumours point to this being a feature exclusive to the Galaxy S26 – and perhaps even just the Galaxy S26 Ultra, if that’s what the high-end model is called – but there are some hints that this useful feature could come to older Samsung phones.

Firstly, this is very likely a clever software innovation rather than something limited to physical hardware components.

Samsung says: “You can customise it to raise your guard with specific apps, or when entering access details for more private areas of your phone. With multiple settings for adjusting visibility, you can limit what others can see based on the level of privacy protection you need.

“You can also choose to protect specific parts of your experience, such as notification pop-ups. It’s a tailored approach that you can fine-tune or switch off entirely, rather than a blanket one.”

This implies a level of customisation only software would be able to handle.

Elsewhere in the press release, Samsung says it “will soon unveil a new layer of privacy to shield your phone from shoulder surfing wherever you go” – the use of “your phone” could mean older phones will get a nifty free software update to do what, presumably, the new S26 phones will be able to go.

I’ve got my fingers crossed it’s for more than just people who splash out on the Galaxy S26. A feature like this is genuinely great, and much more appealing to me than the AI cruft Samsung has filled its phones with recently.

Weird press release that doesn’t quite announce anything aside, I’m excited to see if Samsung can deliver this clever new privacy tool to more customers than just the ones it hope will fork out for a Galaxy S26 at some point in the next few months.