Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra could be 'the killer of screen protector manufacturers' — here's why

Similar to how J. Robert Oppenheimer once compared himself to "death, the destroyer of worlds," leaker IceUniverse has declared Samsung "the killer of screen protector manufacturers" due to several upgrades that the Galaxy S26 Ultra will offer.

In his new post on X, IceUniverse explains how the new Ultra Samsung phone will make third-party protectors apparently unnecessary. To start with, the new Gorilla Glass material that the S26 Ultra's screen is made of is tougher than ever — seemingly tough enough to apparently make tempered glass screen protectors irrelevant.

Furthermore, Samsung's alleged use of new "Color Filter on Encapsulation" (COE) displays will mean a higher brightness at a lower power consumption. In combination with the tougher display, this would make minimalist, ultra-clear protective films obsolete for the S26 Ultra as well, IU explains.

All of this comes on top of the privacy display we've seen rumored several times already. Keeping curious eyes off of your content has always been something users have needed separate screen protectors to help with in the past, but Samsung apparently has a display-level solution to keep your on-screen activities private.

The final type of display protector IU mentions is anti-reflective or matte screen protectors. Samsung already introduced built-in anti-glare tech with the Galaxy S24 Ultra's display, and updated with the Galaxy S25 Ultra. If the S26 Ultra can continue this trend, then that's another seemingly obsolete screen protector.

A greatly-exaggerated demise

I do love a bit of hyperbole. But taking things as they stand, I still suspect that prospective Galaxy S26 Ultra owners may want separate screen protectors.

Even if we assume the Galaxy S26 Ultra's display does everything that the leaks have told us, we don't know how effective each of these elements will be compared to a dedicated extra layer, especially when it comes to protection from scratches and drops. And if there's damage, or a user changes their mind, screen protectors can be removed and replaced for very little money compared to the price of a fresh display.

It seems like we'll only know for sure at some point after February 25th. That's the heavily-rumored date of the next Galaxy Unpacked showcase, and the likely reveal of the whole Galaxy S26 series.

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