Samsung is a major conglomerate with various divisions — the one responsible for your preferred Galaxy devices is Samsung Electronics, whereas the Samsung Foundry and Samsung Display segments also provide individual components to other corporations. When Samsung unveils new display technologies, it has an impact on the entire market.
I received a tour of several Samsung Display projects under development during MWC 2026, showcasing new Privacy display features and a phone featuring a slidable screen.
Samsung’s Privacy Display is already planning significant enhancements
Samsung’s latest Privacy Display feature was introduced on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and incorporates a novel pixel architecture with both narrow and wide pixels. The narrow pixels are only visible when viewed directly, while the wide pixels can be seen from more lenient viewing angles. When using the Privacy Display functionality, the wide pixels are turned off, ensuring your screen cannot be seen from an angle.
This replicates the capabilities of privacy screen protectors, yet Privacy Display is superior in several respects. Firstly, it can be deactivated in software when maximum visibility is essential. Another benefit is that Privacy Display obstructs unwanted viewing from all off-axis angles, while privacy screen protectors only block views from the left and right — not from above or below. Currently, you can either activate Privacy Display for the entire screen or use it for specific applications, for notifications, or when entering passwords.
Even though it seems like Privacy Display just launched, Samsung is already showcasing new applications for it that are described as “under development.” During the event, Samsung Display unveiled an experimental feature that allows you to activate the Privacy Display function for specific sections of the screen. For example, this developmental feature would allow for blocking only the upper or lower portions of the screen as necessary.
The impressive aspect of this Privacy Display feature is that it requires no extra hardware. It would function on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra’s Flex Magic Pixel display, though there is still no information regarding when or if the new Privacy Display options will be implemented in the recently announced model.
LEAD 2.0 is decreasing bezels and enhancing colors
LEAD 2.0 is Samsung’s latest OLED display innovation, and it’s the Samsung Display feature I’m most enthusiastic about. Smartphone displays are generally bright, yet you rarely achieve those touted peak brightness levels in practical use. Your device heats up, you take it outside under sunlight, and suddenly thermal throttling restricts your screen’s brightness when it’s needed most. Despite their variability in effectiveness, these bright screens also significantly drain battery life.
There is potential that LEAD 2.0 addresses all of those frequent grievances. The new OLED technology can reach a maximum brightness of 5,000 nits while using less energy. They also feature an expanded color volume, making images on LEAD 2.0 displays appear bright, vibrant, and detailed — even on screens with lower pixel densities compared to traditional OLED panels. Samsung claims the advantages of LEAD 2.0 include a “longer-lasting battery” and “no overheating.”
Consider me doubtful about that last claim, but if accurate, this new technology could remedy my biggest smartphone display issue in 2026.
Samsung states that it has removed the external polarizer found in conventional OLED displays with LEAD 2.0 technology. This could be part of the reason LEAD 2.0 screens boast nearly invisible bezels. Observe the photo above — that’s a phone seamlessly integrated with an OLED television display. It’s relatively easy to notice in the zoomed-in image, but in reality, I genuinely overlooked it the first time I navigated through the Samsung Display booth.
We do not know when LEAD 2.0 may enter consumer products, but if Samsung’s ambitious promises are legitimate, I eagerly anticipate this enhancement.
Foldables are outdated news — slidables are the upcoming innovation
You’ve encountered foldable phones, and you might have heard about expandable laptop displays. What if we could apply that kind of technology to a smartphone? That’s precisely what Samsung is experimenting with its “Mobile Slidable” concept. It’s a phone featuring a 5.1-inch screen that can slide open to become a 6.7-inch display. Essentially, you receive the portability of a compact phone combined with the screen area of a contemporary flagship.
We lack comprehensive details about the Mobile Slidable beyond its FHD+ resolution and dual aspect ratios. When closed, it maintains a 16:9 aspect ratio that transforms to 22:9 when expanded. It has a 1080×2640 resolution, resulting in 426 pixels-per-inch. While it may not be as practical as a folding flip phone or a conventional smartphone, it is undoubtedly intriguing. As it is an “under development” endeavor, we do not know when or if it will ever be officially launched as a consumer product.
Everything is a Galaxy Watch now
Samsung has integrated Galaxy Watch screens into, well, nearly everything.