Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Exclusive insights from the MWC 2026 roundtable at Samsung

The Samsung hardware roundtable focused on the revolutionary slim design, advances in cooling, the proven mDNIe (mobile Digital Natural Image engine) technology, and the innovative Privacy Display. Participants also had the opportunity to ask Samsung engineers questions directly.

Samsung presented the S26 Ultra's casing as a masterpiece of miniaturization: ultra-thin and lightweight, without compromising on performance. One highlight is the redesigned vapor chamber, which dissipates heat faster during demanding tasks such as ray tracing gaming or on-device AI (Galaxy AI), paired with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, which runs here in a specially optimized version. This is complemented by mDNIe, Samsung's proprietary image engine, which ensures natural colors, adaptive brightness up to 3,000 nits, and minimal reflections.

Particularly exciting: the Privacy Display, which blocks side angles by dimming the edge pixels, thus protecting sensitive data (banking, emails). Unlike software filters, it is hardware-based, works in all orientations, and can be activated on an app-specific basis. In addition, the loss of brightness is less than when using a film. When asked why the pixels are not completely switched off, the developers replied that this would impair the overall display, for example through color distortion or a greater reduction in brightness. The question also arose as to whether the Privacy Display will be used in other Galaxy models. Samsung's response was diplomatic: this depends heavily on market acceptance. There are currently no concrete plans for further devices.

Another highlight was the discussion about batteries, in particular why Samsung has not yet opted for silicon-carbon technology, as this promises higher capacities for the same volume. Samsung representatives confirmed ongoing tests, but cited unresolved disadvantages, without specifying them in detail, that first need to be addressed. The S26 Ultra (buy here on Amazon) therefore remains at 5,000 mAh, but now with 60W wired and 25W wireless charging, which promises solid battery life, but no quantum leaps.