Premium flagship phones aren’t immune to issues. Just months after launch, some owners of the Galaxy S26 Ultra are reporting a reddish tint appearing right in the center of the screen. While it doesn’t seem to affect every unit, the complaints are starting to pile up and have left potential buyers concerned.
Samsung has acknowledged the reports and says it’s currently running an internal investigation. According to users, the reddish patch usually shows up after two to three months of use, not right out of the box. This makes it different from the normal slight color variations you sometimes see on AMOLED screens. Samsung has previously said that overall red or yellow tints can often be fixed by tweaking settings, but this localized central discoloration feels more specific.
A lot of the speculation is pointing toward the S26 Ultra’s unique Privacy Display feature. This is a hardware-level technology that narrows the viewing angles to protect your screen from prying eyes. It’s great for privacy when checking banking apps or private messages. Some people are wondering if this feature, which intelligently controls light emission, might be causing uneven wear or discoloration over time. However, we can’t jump to conclusions yet. User photos alone aren’t enough to confirm something like burn-in.
So far, Samsung hasn’t confirmed any connection to the Privacy Display, the panel design, or specific production batches. In a statement, the company said: “We are currently examining the matter internally to determine the cause.”
At a premium price, buyers expect top-tier reliability. This reddish patch seen on the S26 Ultra, followed by the green or pink lines reported on multiple recent Galaxy flagship models, could shake user confidence fast. If the latest problem turns out to be widespread, we might see software fixes, panel swaps, or even a service program.
If you’re noticing something similar on your S26 Ultra, it’s a good idea to document it with photos or videos, try adjusting your display settings, and reach out to Samsung support.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is a no-brainer pick if you want the absolute best capabilities on your next upgrade. The processor delivers top-tier performance and power efficiency, smooth gameplay at extreme graphics settings, and excellent agentic AI capabilities. However, choosing the right smartphone can be challenging.
There are over a dozen Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 phones out there (check the full list here), and going through each of them will likely cost you a few hours. So we did the hard work and narrowed the list down to five. Check them out below to find your next best upgrade.
5 Best Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 phones to buy in July 2026
The Galaxy S26 Ultra is perhaps a suitable option for most people. It’s got a high-quality, bright AMOLED screen, a 5000mAh battery lasting over a day, and robust connectivity features. The device is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, which runs at a higher speed than the regular version.
The quad-camera setup on the back takes excellent photos and videos, which includes a massive 200MP main camera, two telephoto sensors (one with 3x optical zoom, another with 5x optical zoom), and a 50MP ultrawide camera. There’s a 12MP front-facing camera. The S26 Ultra comes with the best software support for seven years you can get on an Android device.
The Oppo Find X9 Ultra is a heavily spec-ed phone, featuring the powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 at its core. The AMOLED screen produces great colors and has excellent outdoor visibility. You may not have to charge it very often, as it packs a massive 7050mAh battery that can last up to two days on normal usage.
The Find X9 Ultra has one of the best cameras on any phone. The rear camera setup includes two massive 200MP sensors and two 50MP sensors, which take excellent photos and videos in any lighting conditions. The 50MP selfie camera also performs well.
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra is also a top-tier smartphone, pushing the limits of its Ultra phones even higher. This one has a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 at its core and packs a 6000mAh battery that lasts more than a day on normal usage, with support for fast charging.
The Xiaomi phone features a high-end rear camera setup that takes photos and videos with great detail, accurate colors, and sharpness. It can record up to 8K videos, and the 50MP selfie camera supports up to 4K recording. With robust connectivity and high-quality sound, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra becomes an excellent high-end option for most people.
OnePlus 15 is one of the most affordable phones with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip. It features a 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED screen with a high refresh rate and Ultra HDR image support.
The smartphone is equipped with a high-end triple-camera setup, with all sensors featuring 50MP resolution. One of them is a wide sensor, one is a 3.5x periscope telephoto sensor, and one is an ultrawide unit. Plus, it has a 32MP selfie snapper.
The OnePlus 15 comfortably lasts more than a day and can stretch to an additional day with light usage. Plus, the charging speeds are fast enough to refill the battery in minutes.
If gaming is your priority, the RedMagic 11S Pro delivers big. It comes with a modified Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Leading Version with higher clock speeds to unlock maximum performance. It also has a dedicated RedCore R4 Gaming chip that offloads secondary tasks such as audio processing and haptic vibration mapping, so the main Snapdragon processor can focus entirely on delivering maximum frame rates.
With maximum performance comes a great deal of heat, and to handle it, the phone has a built-in 24,000 RPM turbo fan, a liquid metal thermal interface, and a massive 13,116 sq. mm vapor chamber. It’s equipped with dual pressure-sensitive touchpads on the frame as capacitive bumpers.
The RedMagic 11S Pro has a high-resolution AMOLED screen with high refresh and touch sampling rates. The 16MP selfie camera is fitted under the screen to deliver the best gaming experience. You wouldn’t expect a flagship camera on a gaming phone, but the RedMagic 11S Pro still delivers good results where there’s enough light.
Nubia RedMagic 11S Pro specs:
Display
6.85″ AMOLED 1216 x 2688 pixels resolution 144Hz, 1800nits (HBM)
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Leading Version (3 nm)
Samsung takes particular pride in its OLED tech, which spans the globe's most advanced display-related offerings. Even so, given the volumes that Samsung produces at scale, some shortcomings are bound to emerge, as is the case with a troubling red tint issue that some Galaxy S26 Ultra units are now apparently contending with. What's more, this issue has gained added significance in the wake of Samsung's ambitions related to a rollable phone. The Galaxy S26 Ultra's red tint issue places Samsung's reputation and its rollable phone-related ambitions at stake The South Korean publication Newsway is now reporting that some users […]
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