Samsung appears to be taking a swing at one of mobile tech’s most persistent aftermarket necessities: the screen protector.
According to tipster Ice Universe, the Galaxy S26 Ultra will debut a new generation of Gorilla Glass designed to make add-on protection obsolete. The claim is ambitious but specific. Samsung’s new glass will reportedly tackle four key problems that typically send users scrambling for third-party films.
The anti-reflective coating aims to replace matte screen protectors. A technology called CoE non-polarised light will supposedly eliminate the need for ultra-clear transparency films. The glass itself gets described as having “ultra high strength” to match what tempered protectors offer. There’s even mention of a built-in privacy feature that would replace those angle-blocking films.
If Samsung pulls this off, the practical benefits stack up quickly. You’d save money by skipping screen protectors entirely. The phone stays thinner and lighter without extra layers. And you’d avoid the compatibility headaches that sometimes arise between cases and protectors.
The question is whether Samsung can actually deliver on all four fronts. Screen protector manufacturers have thrived precisely because native glass rarely handles every scenario well enough. Anti-glare coatings degrade. Privacy features have angle limitations. And no amount of strength testing prevents that one unlucky drop onto gravel.
Still, if Samsung has cracked even three of these four problems, it would mark a genuine shift. The Galaxy S26 Ultra is already shaping up as a significant update. Eliminating the screen protector tax would be a welcome bonus.
