What is Samsung DeX? How to turn your phone into a desktop with Samsung Dex

Looking for a phone or tablet that's a little different than the norm? Samsung's 2018 flagship lineup has DeX, a hidden mode. DeX is capable of bringing a traditional desktop experience to people right on their phones.

Key content about Samsung Dex

• What is Samsung DeX?
• How DeX Improves Work Productivity
• Which phones support Samsung DeX?
• How to open Samsung Dex on your phone
• Configure Samsung DeX settings
• Samsung DeX's weaknesses

What is Samsung DeX?

Samsung DeX is the desktop mode on Samsung flagship phones. You can enable it manually or set it to automatically turn on when connecting to certain devices.

You can connect the device to a dock and use it as a PC via a host, keyboard and mouse.

If you don't have a keyboard and mouse to access the DeX desktop environment, you can use your phone as an input device.

How DeX Improves Work Productivity

If your phone suddenly turns into a computer, your work efficiency will increase significantly.

All your apps and games will be there, but you'll only have access to the ones that are relevant to your work. With your mouse and keyboard connected, you can instantly reply to client emails, edit documents, use Excel, or whatever productivity tool you want.

If you use these features through your TV, using your phone as a compact PC, you will see how magical DeX is.

DeX offers a Windows desktop experience, with open programs on the bottom left and notifications in the Windows System Tray on the right. Open the app menu by clicking the grid-shaped button.

DeX allows multiple apps to be displayed, either in windowed or full-screen mode. It gives you the feeling of using a real computer, not just a phone mode.

Which phones support Samsung DeX?

DeX is currently only available on Samsung devices released in 2018 or later, and unfortunately not all. Samsung DeX is available on the Galaxy S8/S8+, Note 8+, Tab S4 and later tablets.

Samsung DeX app drawer

To use DeX on your phone, you need to connect the USB-C port on your device to an HDMI display. You can use Samsung's dedicated DeX cable, a docking station, which has USB and HDMI ports to connect other devices; third-party docks are also available.

Meanwhile, if you're using a compatible Samsung Galaxy Tab Sx device, a connected display isn't necessary (though it's still an option). After all, a 10-inch display is more than enough.

How to open Samsung Dex on your phone

To open Dex mode on a supported Samsung phone, swipe down from the top of the screen twice to open the quick settings tray and swipe across to find the Samsung Dex button, click to turn on Samsung Dex, switching the phone to computer mode.

You can also enable Samsung Dex from Settings > Advanced features . In this setting, in addition to enabling/disabling Samsung Dex, you also have the option to automatically launch Samsung Dex when connecting to the Samsung Cover Keyboard, connecting the HDMI cable to the USB-C port.

If you want, you can change your desktop wallpaper, change mouse and keyboard settings in Dex mode, and change the sound when connecting to an HDMI device.

Configure Samsung DeX settings

DeX settings allow you to define the behavior of the app.

For example, you can turn DeX on and off. There are also toggles for Auto start when Book Cover Keyboard is connected and Auto start when HDMI is connected .

Both options are useful when used individually and in combination with each other, especially when connecting a Samsung device to a USB hub or docking station.

You can also specify Screen timeout for connected display (10 minutes delay by default) and while DeX is enabled, select and set Wallpapers for Samsung DeX , adjust Display resolution , and tweak Keyboard, Mouse/trackpad , and S Pen input mode settings . Samsung DeX settings also let you toggle whether the environment can play sound on connected displays ( Play sound on connected displays ) and can access new features via the Samsung DeX Labs sub-menu.

Samsung DeX's weaknesses

While DeX provides a pretty smooth experience, it still doesn’t make you forget you’re using Android. One major drawback is that DeX doesn’t recognize many Android gestures when using apps, and the interface is also designed more for keyboard and mouse use.

While some apps run fine on Dex, some are stuck in portrait mode, and some won't even open.

However, DeX is still a good desktop experience for those urgent, unexpected times when you need to use your computer.

See also:

• 7 ways to turn your smartphone into a PC