Samsung's Galaxy S27 could get a display upgrade the Pixel 11 apparently missed

Samsung is expected to bring a significant display upgrade to its next flagship phones, and it could give the Galaxy S27 Pro and S27 Ultra something that the Pixel 11 series apparently doesn’t have.

According to a new report from Korean publication ET News, Samsung Electronics and Samsung Display have agreed to use the company’s latest M16 OLED material set in the displays of the Galaxy S27 Pro and Galaxy S27 Ultra. If the report is accurate, these would be the first Samsung phones to use Samsung Display’s flagship M16 OLED, which is expected to boost brightness, power efficiency, color performance, and longevity.

Interestingly, Samsung’s new flagships won’t be the first Android phones to get this display. At a Samsung Display x iQOO screen technology event in China on Sunday, both companies confirmed that the upcoming iQOO 16 will be the first Android smartphone to feature an M16 OLED panel. This confirms that the Pixel 11 series, which was previously presumed to use the newer material, does not, if fact, use it.

Meanwhile, Samsung’s M16 panel has also reportedly been used in the new iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max, and iPhone Duo.

Samsung is keeping M16 for its top Galaxy S27 models

Citing industry sources, ET News claims that Samsung will use the M16 OLED specifically for the Galaxy S27 Pro and Ultra, while the standard Galaxy S27 and S27 Plus will reportedly get the older M14 OLED.

That’s a notable change in Samsung’s display strategy. The company has reportedly used the M13 OLED across its Galaxy S series for several generations, so this would represent a fairly significant upgrade.

The standard and Plus models are reportedly moving from M13 to M14, which was used on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, while only the more expensive Pro and Ultra models will jump all the way to M16.

The move would give Samsung another way to differentiate its premium Galaxy S series models from the rest of the lineup, alongside other tech such as the Privacy Display.

ET News also claims that Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 9 foldables are also expected to receive a panel upgrade, moving beyond the M13 panels used on Samsung’s recent foldable phones.