I’ve done extensive testing on the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s 8-bit display, and it’s not a huge problem, but it could be.
When Samsung introduced the Galaxy S26 Ultra at the Galaxy Unpacked event in late February, everyone was buzzing about the new Privacy Display feature. Not only that, but Samsung says it has finally upgraded its displays to true 10-bit panels, capable of displaying more than a billion colors and removing the color band that has plagued its flagships for years.
While that last part is true of the S26 Ultra’s screen, Samsung confirmed to Android Authority that the displays were actually 8-bit (16.7 million colors) panels, not 10-bit (1.07 billion colors) as originally advertised. Apple was sued back in 2008 for similar claims about its laptop displays. Meanwhile, competing flagship phones like the Honor Magic 8 Pro and OnePlus 15 use true 10-bit panels.
The display of the Galaxy S26 Ultra is newly designed and unique
One of my regular explorations involves watching this 4K HDR YouTube video about wildlife in Costa Rica. The green snake scene at the 8 second mark is a good demonstration of whether the phone can reproduce 10-bit color. In the image above, you will see a clear color band on the Galaxy S25 Ultra display, while it is completely invisible on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Color mixing is a strict separation of colors that occurs when a display cannot display all colors in a gradient.
Since the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s display is still 8-bit, like the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s, this means that Samsung has used some kind of distortion to make the color changes appear smoother. Usually, this means using FRC, which looks like this excellent quick explainer video from Wikipedia. However, that is not what happens on the screen of the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
I created a quick video example here of what FRC typically looks like on LCD and OLED displays under a microscope at 480FPS to compare with what happens on the Galaxy S26 Ultra screen:
So it’s clear that Samsung is doing something different in the way of emulating the Galaxy S26’s 10-bit software, but it’s not clear. what what they do to achieve this. I have contacted Samsung and inquired about the company’s approach, but have not heard back by press time.
While watching the video above, you can see the pixels “dancing” between the two examples, which shows how dithering usually looks on LCD and OLED. When I look at the gradients under the microscope on the screen of the Galaxy 26 Ultra, I do not see any bright pixel or movement, which is how it should be.
A photo 1 of 1
I’ve been doing display tests for sunsets and I’ve never seen a display do this. I don’t like to guarantee that the display will not use dithering because it is not possible to test every application and source where dithering is possible. The image above is a good example of why I say this (open the original image if the site compression is messed up). There is no color mixing in 10-bit video, however the YouTube app displays a clear color band around the video.
This presents an interesting, and often confusing, reason why tactics like FRC are so difficult to measure or determine. Samsung’s approach here is an interesting one that seems to be better than others, at least, but there is no telling when and when the company’s strategies can be problematic for sensitive users.
Why dithering is a problem
Temporal dithering is a fascinating trick that uses speed to trick our eyes into seeing something that isn’t there. Some temporary tricks, such as PWM dimming, are used in a way that suggests that most people’s eyes can’t detect flicker to some degree, but ignores the fact that our brains process vision in different ways.
For some people, flickering lights or colors can cause discomfort. Mild headache, sore or dry eyes, and dizziness are some of the common mild symptoms associated with FRC dithering and PWM dimming. Others, however, are not so lucky. The discomfort from these display tricks is well-documented on forums like LEDstrain and the sensitive PWM subreddit, and I know many people who fear for their jobs because modern applications have begun to force this trick.
A prominent member of the PWM sympathetic community, Mark, found himself in this situation. Mark explained to me that “Microsoft has introduced ‘dithering’ into the Windows 11 display manager since some builds in version 22H2 – unfortunately it has rendered Windows 11 completely unusable for me and others as we are sensitive to tearing and stuttering.”
A question posted on Microsoft’s official IT YouTube channel in early December (starting at 8:27) confirmed Mark’s findings. “There is no current accessibility tool that fixes this problem,” Mark said, “and I’m really worried about my ability to work going forward, as I’ve already had to persuade my reluctant IT department to let me continue Windows 10 under ESU.”
Well, the solution should be simple: either buy a 10-bit display or change the color space to 8-bit in the OS. But the problem is twofold. Modern operating systems almost do not allow users to force 8-bit color and, however, there is no guarantee that the application will not try to use dithering “to deliver a better experience,” as the marketing always puts it.
The second is that 10-bit panels are not available, as this conflict with the display of the Galaxy S26 Ultra proves. As was the case with PWM dimming, many companies started using tricks without proper research, only to find that users began to complain about not being able to use the latest equipment because of them.
In a world where everything is connected and you are forced to use new versions of everything, bad decisions by companies force users to make changes in life that they would not otherwise have. The low PWM frequency of the Galaxy S26 Ultra makes it impossible to recommend for sensitive people, for example.
Samsung’s use of FRC to create 10-bit false color means its displays have the potential to bother more users, as I’m personally sensitive to PWM dimming but not at all bothered by FRC dithering. Several others find themselves in the opposite boat, and ultimately it is up to companies to pursue the needs of their customers if they want to keep them. I hope Samsung is listening.
See the privacy display in action on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, the first phone that can protect your messages and other sensitive information when someone else is looking at it.
