Samsung has offered a desktop mode called Dex since 2017, allowing you to get a PC-like experience when connecting your phone to an external display.
Samsung isn’t the only brand to offer a feature like this, but it certainly popularized the feature on Android. So with that in mind, we asked you whether you used Dex on your Galaxy phone. Here’s what you told us.
Do you use Samsung Dex on your Galaxy phone?
Results
This was a popular poll, with over 3,400 votes counted as of writing. It turns out that there wasn’t a runaway winner here. In saying so, “No, I don’t use Dex” accounted for 35% of the vote.
We’re guessing many people voted for this option because they had a PC already and therefore felt like they didn’t need the PC-like experience Dex provides. It also doesn’t help that Android still isn’t quite as versatile as Windows, MacOS, or Chrome OS when it comes to desktop use.
Otherwise, exactly a third of polled users (33.3%) said they used it often. One reader noted in the comments that a Galaxy phone was effectively their PC for several years thanks to Dex. Another user said that they still used the abandoned Linux on Galaxy project on their old Galaxy Note 8.
Finally, 31.7% of respondents said they used Dex now and again. One reader said they used Dex on their Samsung tablet to force some apps into landscape orientation. Pretty smart. We can also see why some people would occasionally use Dex, as it could be handy if you don’t have a PC on-hand.
Nevertheless, 65% of polled readers use Dex in some capacity then. That’s a pretty notable figure, so we hope Samsung continues to improve the feature.
Comments
- veesonic: Switched to Sony and I gotta say this is one of those cool features I miss. I wish an equivalent would be supported by AOSP. Back in my “in office” days I would use it at work to covertly be on my phone during meetings.
- nickthaskater: It has been my daily PC for the last three years across my S10+, Note 10+ and now my Fold 4. I use a 34″ 3440x1440p Viewsonic VP3481 USB-C monitor with integrated USB hub to which I have connected my custom mechanical keyboard and desktop headphone amp/DAC, along with an MX Master 3 mouse over Bluetooth. There is a community of more than 27,000 users on Reddit over at r/SamsungDeX.
- Farhan Ahmad Tajuddin: Using it from my Note8 and I still loving it, especially when using Linux on DeX. At this point, only Samsung, Huawei, Honor, Motorola, and LG develop a custom Desktop Mode for modern Android phones. I love the fact that I can travel light by leaving my Windows PC behind at home and just bring my phone alongside a lapdock.
- Cliff Mar-Shall: I use it on my tablets for some apps that won’t do landscape .
- eszklar: I personally don’t use DeX since I don’t use Samsung phones/tablets that are DeX-capable (I use Pixel phones). I have tested/played with DeX with a Note8/20 Ultra phone and I have a Samsung DeX Station that I used with the Note8. I do like the idea of having a Desktop experience and I wish Google would enable this in their Pixel phones. In the meantime, I’ll wait for the upcoming Pixel Tablet and Fold to be released.
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