On a train or a plane, the person in the next seat can read your messages almost as easily as you can. Samsung built a fix for that into this year’s flagship, a screen that hides its content from anyone looking at an angle, and the phone is part of Amazon’s Prime Big Deal offers: Prime members can get the unlocked Galaxy S26 Ultra (256GB) for $979 instead of $1,399, which works out to 30% off. All four colors are included.
Privacy Display, 200MP Camera and a Stylus in the Box
Privacy Display is the feature Samsung puts first on the S26 Ultra. When it is active, the screen stays readable from the front and goes dark for people beside you. It doesn’t have to be on all the time: Samsung lets you preset it to engage when a notification arrives, when you type a password or when you open particular apps, a banking app for instance. I find that more convincing than a stick-on privacy filter, which dims the display permanently.
The screen itself is a 6.9-inch AMOLED panel at QHD+ resolution with a 120Hz refresh rate, and the phone runs on what Samsung calls its most powerful Galaxy processor so far, with 12GB of memory. For mobile games, that combination means high frame rates on a display large enough to see what you are doing. The battery holds 5,000mAh, and both wireless and reverse wireless charging are supported. Samsung says the phone is ready for Super Fast Charging 3.0, though the box contents list a USB cable and no charger.
Four cameras sit on the back, led by a 200-megapixel main sensor and joined by 50, 12 and 10-megapixel modules. Video goes up to 8K, and Samsung’s Nightography processing targets concerts and city streets after dark. The 12-megapixel front camera has a wider field of view for group selfies. Editing leans on Galaxy AI: with Photo Assist, you type or tap to add an object, restore detail or change the style of a picture.
Other AI functions include Now Nudge, which offers suggestions as you go, and Samsung attaches footnotes to most of them, so availability may depend on settings or accounts. The stylus is included in the box, and the software is Android 16 with One UI 8.5. Samsung Wallet stores payment cards, membership cards and boarding passes, which makes the privacy screen all the more relevant at a checkout or a gate. This model is unlocked for all carriers. Be aware of the size: at 7.5 ounces and nearly 6.5 inches tall, it is a two-handed phone for most people. Amazon customers rate it 4.6 out of 5 across more than 2,000 reviews.
Prime membership is required for this price: the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra with 256GB costs $980 on Amazon against a list price of $1,400, in Black, Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue or White, as a Prime Big Deal. That is for the phone alone, with a one-year manufacturer warranty and free returns. Both the 512GB version and a bundle with Galaxy Buds4 Pro are listed on the same page.
