"Smartphone" set-up for 15+ Month's. A Samsung Dex Review.

I’ve seen over the last year, more and more videos reviewing the marvel that is Samsung Dex. However most of these are often on a short term basis ranging from a week to 3 months. I can tell you now most reviewers went back to the their original platform, as why wouldn’t you, when you have something faster and more powerful sitting in your office. To truly understand Samsung Dex, you need to be fully committed and remove all temptations, like your home PC, from your access. Now I don’t own a pc…..please don’t cry…so for me, this was an easy step to take.

A quick background history for those who may want to understand why I would hinder myself in this way.

For those that know me well, know that my entire channel and reach is based exclusively by mobile applications created on mobile devices. My main jobs work however, is solely about using a high-end pc’s and the applications orientated around that, and I often found when I had a pc at home, I would find myself taking work home and spend too many hours still working. This was not healthy, as I estimated I was clocking in about 90+ hrs a week. So way back in 2010, I made the unusual decision to cut ties with my home pc and look into the world of mobile working, partly to restrict such behaviour.

Even then I could see the future mobile working, was starting to evolve into. It’s coming, and some would argue, pretty conclusively, is already here. So last year when those that could, were forced into working from home due to Covid, I took this opportunity to really fully immerse myself in Samsung Dex. Thankfully a lot of the daily programmes I use already has a mobile app version. For the real heavy lifting work, there is a remote app that allows me to connect to my high-end pc as long as I have a decent bandwidth. In essence there was no reason not to go full Dex. So what is Dex? Well its a software platform that extends your smartphone or tablet into a desktop computing experience. Neat.

Now, I will state that my Samsung Dex is the not the latest or up to date version as for some reason, Samsung only updates the latest selection of mobiles & Tablets. And as I have don’t have the funds to get the latest flagship Samsung mobile, things like wireless Dex I am unable to take advantage of. My version of Dex is on the Samsung Galaxy S8+ which is when it was first introduced, and still has some amazing functions I fully use every day. To get Dex working you need a phone which is Dex capable, any Samsung flagship phone/tablet from S8 onwards has Dex. And a monitor/tv, a HDMI adapter, wireless keyboard and mouse, and your good to go. You can use your mobile as the mouse, but It doesn’t match up to a real mouse.

Connection to dex is as simple as plugging into the HDMI adapter and turning on your monitor/tv which activates the desktop mode. I will say that whilst this is good, I would recommend a powered adapter that accommodates a high wattage as this will help keep your phone/tablet fully charged. If you don’t do this you may find, depending on usage, it will drain the battery In a few hours.

From here you can take full advantage of having a great desktop experience without the need for a PC. Now don’t get me wrong, this will not compete with the PC market, as there are so many things that this can’t do due to the phones internal Spec limitations right now. But as time is progressing, mobiles are becoming more powerful, with applications being built to compete with the full PC editions, along with cloud based operations being integrated, it won’t be long before this does becomes your PC.

Pro’s

1.Space. One of the best things about Dex is the fact that it’s a mobile/tablet and takes up little to no space. As you can see from my home office, the biggest items that take up my space is the monitor and Keyboard. (I’m working on updating this to a 75% mechanical option). This in turn free’s up huge amounts of space for more important items, like coffee.

2. Multi-tasking using multiple windows. Just like any pc, you can set up multiple windows, with dex you can have up to a number of different windows at any one time to ensure maximum productivity. Each window can also be re-sized to suit your needs. The benefits of this can be seen a mile off and one that in general should not be underestimated. Of course the more windows open the more lag some apps can have when doing multiple things.

3. Mobile apps becoming as good as the main pc software. Mobile apps are becoming less hinder by limitations as mobile phone hardware gets better with every generation. All my videos are created using a mobile editor and whilst there is still some limitations, you can still get some truly stunning results with abit more effort.

4. The ability to use your mobile/tablet screen as a second screen. Under the Samsung Dex option in settings, and under mouse/trackpad, there is the option ‘’Flow pointer to Phone screen’’. Turn this on and you can set your device screen connected to by your mouse, either right or left of your monitor which then allows you to have a second screen. This is amazing as it allows me to have an application on my mobile which I always want on. For me, I use this screen as my music player or YouTube, whilst working.

5. Remote connection to a more powerful pc. This has been without a doubt the biggest plus for me and one that really could change a lot of peoples thought on going full mobile working. If your office/ home has a more powerful pc, why should you need to get another one for a different location? As long as you have a decent bandwidth, anything over 60mbps is preferred, you can connect to the more powerful one and enjoy the benefits of that doing the heavy lifting of tasks. Don’t like the mobile app software version, connect to your pc and send the results back to yourself. Plus as this is seen as one application, you can switch between your pc and mobile on the fly, to use four other applications should you need to. The versatility alone here is fantastic.

6. Your mobile/tablet camera is better than a webcam. Thinking of streaming, or doing video calls and cant stand that blurry 900p resolution, well, use your phones internal camera. This is so much more powerful and adjustable, that getting a full on webcam. The difference alone needs to be seen to be believed, but trust me, once you start using your mobile as your webcam, it will be hard to go back.

7. Gaming on the fly with a big screen. With services like GeForce Now and Xbox Gamespass providing good quality cloud gaming, you can enjoy playing more games anywhere, when and how you want (Depending on bandwidth). Being able to connect to a monitor/tv, also means you can really enjoy gaming on a bigger screen. Plus both services support Keyboard and Mouse, so you are only really limited to your imagination at what games you want to play.

8. Working on the fly with a big screen. Because your mobile/tablet is your pc, you only really need to carry a keyboard/mouse and the HDMI adapter. Maybe a portable monitor if you cant find one to connect to, and you are set to work anywhere there is a decent bandwidth. Working from your favourite coffee shop or picturesque outdoor spot, is your future.

9. Cost. Being forced into setting up a home office, I thought I was going to run into some seriously expensive costs. Actually no. I got a cheap monitor from ebay, desk from Ikea and cheap keyboard/mouse and Bluetooth headset, and I was good to go. Your be surprised that once your pc is your mobile, how easy you can set up things and future proof things.

Con’s

1. Bandwidth, bandwidth, bandwidth. Really, this the crux for the whole pc free situation. If you are in an area that has poor or throttled internet, you won’t be able to take advantage of the amazing benefits from using Dex. Yes, you can still use dex as a home pc experience, but it doubles in quality with a stable internet connection.

2. Desktop software on mobile/tablets is rare still. If you have a flagship Samsung device your good to go, but what if you don’t want or can’t afford a Samsung device. Well there are other manufacturers starting to realise the potential after Samsung has shown how well it works. Huawei is also providing what I would call the closest competition right now with their easy projection, and currently there is a hidden desktop mode on Google’s Android 10. But that’s it, and until more manufactures take this on board, you are limited to whom you can choose from.

3. Mobile apps becoming as good as the main pc software. Yes they are becoming as good as the main software, but they aren’t there yet. Some apps are still not optimized and whilst you can force them full screen it doesn’t always look perfect. Also you will be using effectively the light version of the software and this means you wont be getting all the good stuff/shortcuts you are used to. Regardless there are work arounds and on YouTube there is enough people to help you get what you want out of the your mobile if you look hard enough.

4. Why? don’t you have a pc??. This will be the go to question on people’s lips every time you mention you use Dex as it still seen as abit weird to not own or use a PC directly for general working. My own boss, still cant get his head around that I work solely from my mobile and actually thought I was working using the mobile screen as a main monitor…But think of it this way, you are pioneer into what will be the norm in the coming future.

Currently these are the only drawbacks to using Samsung Dex as a main option for working that I can think of. My experience for 15+ months now of full Samsung Dex, has been amazing and eye opening really. Yes, there has been some minor challenges, but nothing I couldn’t work out to resolve. Regardless, it has allowed me to be versatile in my productivity and also helped me get a good balance between work and fun.

There is so much that can be done with Dex that is truly amazing at what you can accomplish. A channel I watch on YouTube and that shows of the real crazy abilities of Samsung Dex is capable of,  is MRP, who for instance has found a way to have a working 3d printer connected to his mobile. The limitations of Dex is eroding quite quickly and if you, like me, want to work in a way where the world is your desk, now would be the time to get on board.