Some Galaxy S26 Ultra owners say they had to return the phone over the display

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra has been grabbing attention for its new Privacy Display feature, which limits viewing angles to keep prying eyes away. But while that’s been the headline upgrade, some early users are raising more general concerns. We recently highlighted potential display limitations on the device, and now we’ve seen online reports from people who say using the phone is causing eye strain — or worse.

Across several Reddit threads (Examples: 1,2,3,4), several Galaxy S26 Ultra owners describe symptoms such as eye strain, headaches, dizziness, and nausea after using the phone. In some cases, they say the discomfort was enough to warrant returning the device reluctantly.

Multiple threads mention similar experiences, and some replies echo the same issues. Several of the people reporting problems remain broadly positive about the phone, adding weight to the idea that they were genuinely sharing the details with a heavy heart rather than merely venting dissatisfaction. That said, it’s clearly not affecting everyone. Many other users in the threads say they’ve had no problems at all with the display, suggesting this may come down to individual sensitivity.

Some posters point to the new Privacy Display as a possible cause. It’s one of the most striking changes to the screen this year, so it’s naturally part of the conversation, but there’s no clear evidence linking that feature to the issue yet. Some users specifically state that they experienced the issue with the Privacy Display off, though the nature of the pixels the feature uses could still be a contributing factor.

There’s no confirmed cause yet, but the symptoms being described do line up with what can happen when people are sensitive to display flicker. As we outlined in our recent article, the Galaxy S26 series uses a relatively low PWM dimming rate of around 480Hz to control brightness. For some users, especially at lower brightness levels, this can lead to discomfort.

Other smartphone brands have moved toward higher-frequency PWM or alternative dimming methods to reduce these effects, even on more affordable devices. Samsung hasn’t taken that approach here, and it also doesn’t offer built-in flicker reduction options, which may limit what affected users can try.

For now, these reports remain anecdotal, and there’s no indication of how widespread the issue might be. Still, the consistency of the complaints across different posts is a concern. We’ve reached out to Samsung and will update this article with any response we receive.