Samsung Details Switchable 2D/3D Display Technology That Could Come to Future Galaxy Phones

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra was launched in India and other global markets earlier this year, in January. Ahead of the launch of the flagship handset, the South Korean tech conglomerate unveiled a new privacy display feature, which eventually made its way to the Galaxy S26 Ultra. The company uses a hardware-based solution to offer the functionality, which aims to curb shoulder surfing. On Thursday, the company, in collaboration with Postech, published a paper on the switchable 2D-3D display technology, which uses a metasurface lenticular lens-based solution. Samsung will reportedly introduce this feature with the rumoured Samsung Galaxy S28 Ultra, which is expected to be launched globally in 2028.

Samsung's Paper Describes Seamless Transitions Between 2D and 3D Modes

In a new paper titled “Switchable 2D-3D display through a metasurface lenticular lens” published in Nature in collaboration with Postech, the company says that that future smartphones, tablets, and “commercial systems” might ship with this new display technology that uses an “ultra-thin” metalens that is capable of manipulating the light beam.

Samsung's switchable 3D display technology uses an ultra-thin metalens
Photo Credit: Samsung

The metalens comprises nanoscale structures, which enable “seamless” transitions between 2D and 3D modes. Moreover, the company believes that the technology would also improve viewing angles on displays. This would let users toggle between 2D and 3D modes. The technology also uses voltage control to make this possible. Regarding its impact on end users, the tech giant said, “It's a breakthrough that could eventually enable them to choose between high-resolution 2D for everyday tasks and immersive, multi-view 3D for video.”

While the company has yet to reveal the names of the devices that might launch with the switchable 2D-3D display technology, a new report claims that the Samsung Galaxy S28 Ultra could be among the first devices to receive the said upgrade. If true, it would mark another leap for the company, further pushing the smartphone display technology envelope.

In January, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra was launched in India during the company's Galaxy Unpacked 2026 event. The handset ships with a 6.9-inch (1,440x3,120 pixels) 10-bit Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, with up to a 120Hz refresh rate and Corning Gorilla Armor 2 protection.

However, the most notable feature of the phone is the Privacy Display, which aims at preventing shoulder surfing. The screen comprises wide and narrow pixels. When the feature is turned on, the wide pixels turn off, drastically narrowing the viewing angles. Moreover, the solution can also be enabled for specific sections of the display to only hide notifications or password fields.