UPDATE: NexDock got in touch to let me know the loose-screw phenomenon is a known issue, and I'm apparently one of only three users to report it. So that's good! Also, while I didn't make it explicit in the video, it's possible to disable device charging in the NexDock control panel, which significantly extends the dock's battery life (but, naturally, won't leave you with a phone at 100% by the end of your session).
Most of the time I use dex wireless with my desktop computer. Zfold3, it generally takes me about 4 hours to run the phone down from 100% to 65%. So does it even need to be charging your phone? Not to mention you can just use a super fast charging 65watt charge to get that back to %100 in 30 minutes or so. Or since you have a fancy backpack, use a portable charger while you are walking around the seaport....... I mean haven't we all gotten used to the fact that charging is a thing by now? I can understand the point of someone that was going out without all their bags and gadgets and just their phone as to why they may be worried about battery capacity, but your use case is sitting still in a coffee shop or walking around with a bag filled with gadgets that can easily carry a portable charger....... I get that you don't want to have compromises in the tech and all but until we can have endless energy diamond encased nuclear powered phones, charging is a thing so I'm not really understanding the use case issue here.
When I first heard of Dex, my mind jumped to a world filled with screen terminals, like how computers littered the hallways in my college. You could pocket your credentials and files and hook up to a bigger screen to finish work and print things. When you go home just connect to the tv for all your streaming
@Nehemek They still sell and make them. I have a buddy I was talking to a few minutes ago about this video. He uses one on a daily basis, as a sysadmin for a major hospital system. Carries it with him everywhere he goes, and even if the local machine where he's working is dead, he can get to his workstation in 5 seconds. He said it works great for his use case, but then again, he has screens and peripherals available to him everywhere he goes. Dex would require him to carry a BT KB/M.
@@TheMrMobile there's also Samsung's Smart Monitor, which is exactly like that but with some base functionality (kinda like Chrome OS) It has become a dream setup to have something like S22 ultra as my main computing device with something like the smart monitor on my desk for a more ergonomic/productivity focused functionality.
@@TheMrMobile Have you seen the AVA wireless portable monitor? Not sure if there were similar tech but it as almost lag free at 1080p and really cool looking. Imagine in the future when this tech improves more and becomes default on most devices like smartphones. Then an AR/VR headset where you can project the desktop from your phone. Then our brains will be fried with all the wireless stuffs 😂
This is something that was also visualized with things like the Motorola Atrix/Lapdock (also worked with the Droid Bionic), as well as the idea of Ubuntu Touch and convergence (the idea of hooking a phone to a dock to bring up the full version of Ubuntu as opposed to the phone OS - the Ubuntu Edge on Indiegogo in 2013 was supposed to bring this concept to the forefront). Also Continuum with Windows 10 Mobile. I would love to be able to do this, but don’t know if this idea is yet ready for prime time. Edit: whoa, just saw the Atrix get the nod from Mr. Mobile himself. Awesome!
As someone who used a Samsung Tab s6 for a year and half I really like the concept behind dex but it never felt truly finished. Hopefully this use case becomes more popular and Dex can get more focus.
@@Jdk.JK06 hmm but Mrwhoosetheboss never makes this kind of videos. I mean long and detailed videos. He always just mentions it for a short time or puts it in a video about many other things.
I have a NexDock 360, and I LOVE it. I don't use DeX much, I use Parsec to remote into my desktop. If you don't have a desktop at home, DeX leaves something to be desired, but if you do, an app like Parsec makes it absolutely SEAMLESS to move from home to on-the-go, even doing work that a phone couldn't normally do by itself. And when I upgrade my Galaxy S10 to an S22 Ultra, it'll be an upgrade to my "laptop" too. I use a magnetic mount for the phone and a shorter USB4 cable, very clean look. For what I need in a "laptop," which is really just a screen, keyboard, and 4G signal, in a lightweight package, to connect to my desktop, the NexDock is really good.
I've been using dex on my tab s7 with a BT mouse and I love it. I have a gaming PC and laptop for gaming and video editing but I use dex for literally everything else. It's good for basic word docs but falls apart with any docs that are more intense but it's surprisingly great for photo editing, especially with the S pen for fine tuning. I only wish that android got better support cause that's the one issue with dex, the app support isn't great. You can get around a few of these issues with web apps through Samsung Internet but I wish that worked for more options.
Bro Samsung internet can't synchronize well with desktop browsers and can't export bookmarks properly. I wrote a lot of scripts and spent a whole day to finally export all my data and leave Samsung internet. Now I use opera, like every other major browser it can sync with desktop and export data in a format that other browsers can import. No longer locked into the ecosystem. Btw exporting is a very simple feature to program. Yet they focus on useless things and not this.
Google could have improved this concept by providing Chrome Os as the desktop mode on their pixel phones, if that ever happens I would definitely upgrade to a pixel phone
Absolutely but then they wouldn't sell as many Chromebooks. But, in saying that most Chromebooks are used in education so they would still sell a ton and having Chrome OS on Pixel phones would surely sell more phones so it is a mystery why they don't implement it. They probably have some corporate agreement with Samsung or something.
@@Cyba_IT i think the problem is that chrome OS has a monopoly on low budget laptops, so they have no incentive to compete by offering a hybrid option. If there was a good competitor to chrome OS they'd probably pick it up
@@Cyba_IT I disagree, I have seen portable dongles which cost just $30 and having chrome os built in I don’t think providing chrome os with the pixel phones would cannibalise the sales of chrome books
@@kentonwu4383 chrome os is not meant for doing heavy tasks it’s similar to Samsung dex than windows, chrome os is not targeting people who use a computer for performance, it is just meant for day to day tasks
@@kentonwu4383 not a monopoly you can get a budget laptop with better performance for the same or lower price as a chromebook they might not feel as fast due to windows being garbage but if you put linux on it it would be like a chromebook but less garbage
During the very first months of the pandemic in 2020 I used Dex to connect to online lessons at school and I loved it. It was surprisingly usable for most things (videocalls, note taking on Google Docs or Samsung Notes, web browsing, media streaming, playing games with controllers). It had a lot of bugs at the time and a lot of features were still missing, but I enjoyed it a lot. After 2 months of daily Dex use, I got a Windows laptop, which has been my main desktop device, since then, and I haven't got the chance to use Dex anymore. I sometimes still try it and I'm amazed by how much it has improved in the past couple of years, with a lot of quality of life features added. But as you said, if you already have a real laptop, there is no reason to look into Dex or similar, because your laptop does more things and better, but I still think it's a great addition and something that definitely needs to stay and be improved over time. On tablets, however, I think it's one of the best things out there. Being able to have a normal tablet UI for finger and pen usages, and then switching to a desktop UI when connected to a keyboard really makes it shine in a lot of situation, and the fact it's baked into the main display, instead of requiring an external monitor like on phones, really makes you use it more. I genuinely believe Dex is one of the most important advantages Galaxy Tabs have over the competition, iPads included. If Apple implemented something similar, allowing iPad to run a MacOS-like UI when connected to the Magic Keyboard, it would be revolutionary. But as you said, they probably never will because they get way more money forcing you to buy both...
I love dex for online classes , I didn't have to buy a laptop for that and I'm grateful. I just hook up the galaxy tab to the monitor and take notes on the tab and watch the class on the monitor. If i bought a ipad i would never be able to do that without a laptop
@@PSYCHOV3N0M Allowing a powerful M1 iPad to run more apps side by side in an actual usable way is a revolution compared to the current limited iPadOS which can't even keep apps open in background... That is revolutionary, making the M1 chip an actual feature and not a gimmick as it's now. If turning a tablet in a powerful desktop device isn't revolutionary, then tell me what is it...
@@cristiansumma29 agree only if it was open source we could've seen dual booting both windows and iPad OS on same device the OnePlus 6 already does it imagine it with M1 chipset
here is my thinking about dex: android apps are great. compare the website of youtube/netflix to the app of the same for example. and in dex you get a big screen running the better version of the website. i used the note8 version for months and while a bit clunky, it was super useable, websurfing, video watching and multitasking AND anything communication! video calls are a breeze, if the app supports send on enter its a dream to chat too. the tablet point: the chromebooks do the same, they switch to "table UI", meaning forced full screen and no taskbar, and its horrible. dont have a tablet to try but...well its android based so its probably better
I don’t know that there is any difference between a single device that plugs into everything and many devices synchronized through cloud which we mostly already have
Your video was not too long. Your narration, production value and filming are all top-notch. Everything about your videos screams, "professional" and it's a genuine pleasure to watch. I especially love how you highlight local businesses.
On the surface, no disagreement there. There’s stuff my computer just does better than my smartphone. However, one thing I have always found annoying was having a text conversation on my phone, being on my computer doing a work task or whatever, and basically having to switch between my phone and my computer every few minutes. Seems stupid and insignificant, but it really can be an annoyance. Especially if I’ve put my phone down to charge, or if you’re someone like me who can get sucked away from a task once they turn away from the computer relatively easily. Apple’s ecosystem has been a relatively decent stopgap so far, all calls/texts/iMessages get funnelled to my computer as well as my phone, and some of the other communication apps I use do also have a desktop counterpart to make some of this easier. Heck, nearly every major productivity suite from Apple, Google, and Microsoft use the cloud to keep your work synced across all devices. But it’s not quite the same. It still takes time to get back to where I was in a document (heck, to even pull up the document). It takes time to get back to that movie I was streaming, and it may not even pull up all that close to where I left off. Having a system where I can literally just dock my phone, everything comes up on a bigger screen, and my phone’s UI shifts to recognize the connected screen and accessories would be exceptionally helpful. Also helps lower some costs for corporate, only having to secure one device rather than 2-3 per employee.
@@resneptacle agreed, yes, most have a desktop client. Many of those desktop clients end up needing to still be paired with the phone app. The WhatsApp application seems to frequently lose connection (personal experience, at least). Having a single device functioning as the “brain” of our computing experience I do think could still function better. How many times do you have to stop and update the app in three (or more) different places? Think of it almost like the original Google Chromecast. All accounts / apps / etc live on your phone so to speak, things only get pushed to your TV when you connect. Not to mention, being able to do the exact same things on your phone as you can on your tablet or laptop would mean in some cases not having to bring your laptop with you. I recall one of the manufacturers (I believe it was Blackberry) showing what it could be like being able to do everything from one single device from a business perspective for one of the devices they manufactured. Simplified everything.
I used a UPerfect X and LG Screen+ exclusively for an academic conference, and the worst part was simply not having enough room for the phone and Lapdock on the small provided desks, and having to move the cord around everywhere when I went from one part of the room to another. Integration is the final missing piece before I could fully switch TBH. Andronix was great for Apps though, since Android can now run most Linux apps.
@@TheMrMobile I bought a little pouch to hold my phone on the back, but even then, the phone weighed the screen down, so it couldn't be used upright. It's a huge issue 100%
@@NigelMelanisticSmith imagine a Lapdock with a phone clamp in the style of an old laptop dvd drive. It would slide out and slide back in, and your phone won't weigh down the screen. If you're listening, here's a free idea lapdock makers
For years I have followed his channel and I knew he will gain many many more followers. All his videos are like a journey with something to learn and realistic approach to the use of product. It’s always a treat when he takes the viewers out on sight seeing to beautiful spots. It’s a breath of fresh air from other’s regular reviews.
I was so excited about the NexDock, but, after 2 months of trying to make this thing work, it’s become a $350 phone dongle that rarely gets used. As mentioned, the track pad is awful. Battery life is dismal. Speakers…if they can be called speakers. BUT, my biggest frustration came at the hands of the micro-SD slot. It won’t eject the Mini SD card. I cannot for the life of me get that card out of the slot. When I first started using the Nexdock I could see the advantage of having the phone mounted on the side. I purchased a Doter Laptop Phone Holder on Amazon. BTW it works great. However, my S22 Ultra is just heavy enough that when attached to the phone holder the Nexdock screen won’t stay upright if pushed past a 45-degree angle. The USB ports need help. There are 3 USB C ports, First one is for charging only, Second one is for the phone input only, and the last one is for data. However, the data port it’s in the exact spot my wrist is when using a mouse (because the track pad sucks) so any adaptor or dongle is naturally in the way. Bottomer line, I really like DEX. The Nexdock not so much, If I could send my nexdock back I would. I would have been better off spending $350 on a potable battery powered monitor and a folding keyboard with a track pad. Which begs the question why does Nexdock costs $350? It is so much better and easier to hot spot my phone and use my laptop. Thank you for your review and comments,
Track pad is inherently Android's problem for not having proper support of it. The NexDock is also useful as an all-around portable monitor for mini PCs as well.
I love these in depth long reviews much more than the short ones that only tell the really important stuff. That's because the really important stuff is usually really obvious and if I want to truly know more about something I am always looking for a review like this one.
I agree. Most reviews often skimp the obvious. It’s details like these that are far more important since it’s actually the small, seemingly trivial things that can easily make or break an experience.
I love that you took the time to make this video. I find it frustrating that for different tasks you often need to buy so many devices e.g. iPad for touch and pen but PC/Mac to use an external display for multitasking. Our devices are so capable but so often held back by software or even a manufacturer’s decision to not give it more functionality
I use Dex to edit my smartphone photos in my LG ultriwide monitor. It is fantastic how much I can do with it. I am considering getting a Samsung laptop to unify my UI. Said that there are two trends that undermine Dex: (and you mentioned them) first is the lack of a micro SD memory in newer Samsung models with dex (I have a S20 FE, I got my documents in a 128 gb memory), it forces you to choose the cloud and in consequence internet plans. The other is the lack of headphon jack. I cannot plug at the same time the speakers because I occupy the usb-c port with the cable,, I tried wireless but was unstable. I don't know if in the Samsung multiadapter there is room for it but is difficult to get
This is why I'm thankful I still use my Note 9. =) I believe it is one of the last flagship Samsung phones to have both SD card support and the headphone jack. And it supports DeX.
@Carl Gunderson Fair point. What I mean is that Dex seems to me to have a nice user interface. If I would get a new laptop now (for my heavy work in CAD) I think a Samsung laptop would feel more comfortable as their software UI is designed to resemble the One U.I. interface. For now I use Dex to edit photos in the lightroom mobile app, and I just spent the previous days copying my work files. As now I do much of my work with my S20 FE it helps me the idea to process data without need of transferring it to the laptop.
I use a DisplayLink dock, a Dell D6000, to plug in what the heck ever I want to at my desk, phone or laptop or whatever, and my phone's display-out through the USB-C port works just fine. The headphone jack is also supported. I've tried an Orico WB-11P with my phone as well; the USB-A ports don't work for data transfer but the audio through the headphone jack does work. In other words, go shopping around for a dock that will charge your phone while allowing you to get video output, audio output, and hopefully some spare USB-A ports as well. Please learn from my example: support for features through USB-C is a wild west, and docks may or may not play nice with your devices. Read a lot in advance and be ready to return a product at the drop of a hat if it doesn't work with your phone, or PC, or whatever. You should be able to plug in a single USB-C cable and have a display, mouse, keyboard, and headphones waiting for you at your desk at the end of the day.
@@skyscall You can install that on any pc by simply googling the exe file, it works identicially on my desktop as it does on Galaxy Book S, even gets updates despite being "Unsupported"
Here's something really cool, a lot of old '90s adventure games can be run in a program called ScummVM, which was natively ported to Android. Meaning that you could run those games natively on that setup with that meeting to resort to cloud streaming. You just got to get the game files onto your phone somehow. It even supports cloud saving with various cloud storage providers so you can have the same games on different machines and continue from multiple devices as long as you have it logged into whatever cloud storage provider you use.
SCummVM is amazing. Remember using it on Nokia phones in the SymbianOS era. And on the Nokia N900. It runs on so many different platforms and they do a great job trying to keep everything up to date.
I got my Edge+ (Edge 30 Pro, here) going now and hooked up an external screen I already had; it's a portable model with two USB-C ports, one for power, the other for image from the phone... and the thing will pass the power on to the phone if I plug in a power supply, even up to 60 watts, which I did not expect. It's *ridiculously* cool. Full-screen video, full-screen desktop, and full screen gaming with a game controller. Dex who? Motorola is owning them in my opinion. I'm so glad I changed my mind and went with the Motorola, this functionality is gorgeous and will come in so handy on trips.
motorola does not make laptops and if google allows maybe will see a decent version this. it is been years since i wait for this but laptops and entry level pc 's will be gone so i don t hold my breath. it would be nice tho
Love my Samsung so much, I use it to connect to phone gaming emulators, streaming sites that don't have apps, and it basically helped me cut cable. Video taught me even more features it can do!
I did a 2 day test on Ready For. For those 2 days I've switched fully from my laptop to a Motorola Moto G100 with Ready For while working my usual IT job. And the thing is I was not missing any feature from my laptop. I was totally able to do all my tasks and sometimes even better and faster than on laptop (project management tool was way better in mobile version). I've also ask all my coworkers if they noticed any differences. Nobody did. So I think for some of us the revolution is already here ;).
it could easily kill off the laptop it's just software thats in the way of it, some phones can now have windows 11 full 11 installed on them, if microsoft cared to remake windows then it would be a pc replacement
It’d be a lot more than that I’d think considering what laptops can deliver. If it’s something like a chrome book or netbook though, then yeah. But if you’re gonna spend money on all those accessories and a decent enough phone to use it, it’s just make more sense to buy used or decent enough laptop.
What I don't get is why Google and Samsung don't just try to replicate the polish of Chrome OS as a "universal desktop mode" built into Android by default instead of every brand fending for themselves. *¯\_(ツ)_/¯* But form factor wise I can definitely see myself in 2030 with AR/XR smart glasses and a folding tablet or 7-inch "fold and slide" phone that transform into a 12.5-inch as my daily carry.
Not really just due to software. If you're gonna do daily tasks, then sure, but it's a whole different ball game if you're gonna do something intensive such as 4k gaming, big data computations, etc. Hardware will still matter.
@@keyjeyelpi obviously it wouldn't replace gaming laptops or pcs that require power it would be stupid to even think that what I mean is regular laptops
I have used Dex a lot recently. My company made some security updates to their email system and IT played some games on my work PC to get Outlook to work properly. However, Outlook on my home PC can't connect anymore and rather than sitting on the phone with IT for an indeterminate amount of time, I decided to plug my phone into the pc. I was able in a few seconds to access my company e-mail using a comfortable 32" monitor. It does have some issues as you mentioned but these should be easily fixed in software, if Samsung chooses to do so.
Having a single device that could do everything was one of my dreams for years. I feel like a couple of things have led me to give up the dream and be satisfied with basically a phone, an iPad, and a desktop computer. Cloud storage and online clients for office software is a big part of the reason. I liked the idea of a dockable phone because I wanted to be able to have “my stuff” everywhere but now everything is available on all of my devices because love it or hate it, my stuff is all in the cloud. The main reason though is that phones got bigger and the interfaces have gotten better to the point where i can do most things on my phone. I can thumb type almost as fast as I can type on a laptop and I have gotten used to doing a lot more stuff like quick document edits and email on it. I have gotten to a point where my desktop pc is for work, my tablet is for consuming video and other content, and my phone is for everything else.
Wow! What a beautiful, cinematic, experience your reviews are! I watch just for the videography, editing and puns! As for Samsung Dex - not having the desktop version of apps is a deal breaker for me. I revisit it every year or so with high hopes, and although its a great experience for 70% of what I do, not having the full functionality of my apps like Microsoft OneNote is a deal breaker.
So, the absolute "I just subscribed and liked this video for this one reason" clinch detail is that you know how to do narration. Others have a grasp on tech, yeah, ok, thanks... but the narration comes off as either too passe or technobabble. You know how to speak for voice over. It's genuinely captivating.
Really wish Ubuntu would have gotten their whole "convergence" thing to work. I do think we're heading this way, at least for basic computer use. I don't know if every workflow will be able to work this way, but a lot of them can be adapted.
Well... Ubuntu Touch by UBPorts is working on it; so they say. And they might get there. But they aren't exactly fast-moving... ^^; Their documentation is still impressively ancient in terms of device porting...
Their concept was so much more than this but that also means it's much more harder to do and unfortunately, Canonical isn't big enough to do it and eventually dropped the project. The project is still alive with UBports but it's a very small community. I hope a billionaire wakes up one day with the desire to support this project 😂
Same, that was the very first time I heard of this concept. However, the Linux Community is working hard on bringing full desktop Linux to smartphones. The Pinephone, Librem 5 and some others have sparked interest in the (dev) community and the development of the touch/phone GUI's and apps is going fast. The desktop side is already there of course, in a very mature way. That would be just your regular KDE or GNOME interface with full desktop programs, compiled for ARM.
Ever since I got the Tab S6, I've been using my tablet/s on Dex Mode a lot. I'm currently using S7+ and will upgrade to S8 Ultra soon. I gotta say, Dex has improved a lot and I'm looking forward to its future development. The only bummer I can think of is the discontinuation of Linux on Dex. Nonetheless, I am glad that Samsung continually improves on Dex.
For the price of those 2 tablet upgrades within a few years you could have just gotten a used MacBook air though. And probably have way fewer weird things to work around. I don't know but it feels like trying to find a solution for something that already exists. If at done point this works as well as a surface pro in "Computer mode" and as well as an ipad in tablet mode, it'll be great, but until then I'd rather have a surface pro and a phone.
You’re bringing back memories of my Motorola Droid and the Lap Dock. I still have it! Thrilled to see a similar device made an appearance. I really enjoyed watching this and I wish Dex could take off better than it has. I’ve tried Dex with my Note10 and given up for now.
I remember when Sony launched the Xperia Z4 tablet + laptop dock. I genuinely tried using it exclusively as a laptop but it just couldn't. But as you highlighted in this video, even with iPad Pro now and the amazing magic keyboard dock, it's still not 100% a laptop experience and it actually resulted in me buying an even bigger 16 inch laptop. But, I enjoy the trying no less. Secondly, like you with the fold. I genuinely love watching videos on my phone over TVs these days. I have the Xperia 5iii and whilst it's not a 4k screen, it's actually the clarity of those speakers that make it perfect. Soooo clean.
I love the idea and I'm sure it will be part of the future. It's simply less stuff to worry about getting updates and being backed up. However, what really grinds my gears is that my Fold 3 doesn't support the Thunderbolt / USB C input my desktop screen provides, which also acts as hub for keyboard and mouse for my desktop computer and laptop. Why, Samsung?!
Three years ago, the motherboard in my work laptop died and I had to live on Samsung Dex with Galaxy Note 8 for two weeks, before my laptop came back from repairs. Productivity was certainly down but the whole setup was usable and allowed me to get the job done, using primarily Office 365 apps and various SaaS web applications.
This was almost an instant buy for me. But it's too bad about the batterylife and the speakers. Here's hoping for the next one. At least the price is good. And as far as I know they ship world wide for free! That's pretty dope. Edit: I just realized, that if we soon go portless on our phones, this will be useless.
You could buy a miracast dongle and use wireless dex instead. Anyway portless would be stupid for samsung. While Apple have a slow lightning connector, samsung have high speed usb 3.2 that can be used for literally anything
Loved it! Back in the early 2000s, I loved the idea of being able to do everything from a small mobile device. I had adapters for Windows CE devices, the NEC MobilePro, output accessories for my Palm, etc. The prospect of not having to haul a laptop around for just showing a PowerPoint presentation at a conference or checking email was so enticing! But those handhelds were too small to really be productive. I waited with bated breath for the Palm Foleo, a small "dumb" subnotebook device that would connect with your Palm. You could have your portability and a more usable form factor. But it got cancelled, laptops got smaller and thinner, and smartphones took off. Still, it's a cool concept. I'd try Dex, but I prefer my iPhone.
You forgot to mention that this was a community derived idea. At first, years ago it started as an XDA Developers project that had android + Ubuntu when connected to a monitor and a keyboard.
I've seen loads of videos about NexDock and lapdock in general. As much as I love this kind of gadget, there's no going away from the fact that Android itself is far from a worthy desktop/laptop replacement. For a smartphone to be a true pocket computer, it needs to have a mobile OS that can run desktop apps or softwares. That is why I truly dig GNU Linux smartphones like the Purism Librem 5 and the PINE64 PinePhone as they are the closest thing we can get for a real pocket PC. Someone even manage to successfully run GIMP in a PinePhone running Manjaro Phosh Desktop Mode without any problem at all.
That's what I was thinking of the entire time I was watching this. Yeah, I'm sure the fold is way more powerful than the pinephone. I mean, pinephone isn't trying for.flag ship specs, but from what I've seen, it seems the docked experience with Linux phones is greatly superior to dex, simply because they're not shooting themselves in the foot trying to prevent the death of laptops. If we could get fold level specs on a phone running an actual desktop Linux OS smoothly... My God, I'd never even consider another laptop, tablet, or in my case, even a desktop. Hell, from what I gather, steam deck has a better docked experience. This is the future of computing, it's just not android or windows that will take us there.
@@codyofathens3397 I can still see huge potential for Windows Phone as a true pocket PC since we have Windows on ARM, but Android will never replace either two.
I think the only one with potential and dont use it is Apple with the m1. And with this "the future" since the Motorola hahaha, we have a decade already and none solved the issues. It is expensive, don't work in a lot of cases and well, a lot of other issues
Video is NOT too long. It takes time to really communicate and understand something. Thank you for the longer video! It's a refreshing change from all the less than 8 minute videos that try to address short attention spans.
I feel like the windows feature to access your phone features wirelessly is going to play a key role in bridging the gap. If a company that made dex with this same function with some lightweight software to connect the two, then that would eliminate the tether requirement. Extenernal hardware outside of that I think will always be the issue.
Oh man, love to see the Atrix! Didn't own one myself, but as a young teenager when that came out I totally loved every trip to the Sprint store. Speaking of that awesome era, I hope we see a video on that dual-screen Kyocera some day! (Also, sad to see 2g and 3g shutting down this year making so many classic phones even more useless.)
I remember when I first switched to an android device from windows phone in 2016 I didn’t touch my laptop for over a year simply because I had such a wide array of apps right on my phone to do most of the tasks I would need my laptop for. I was really impressed with the versatility of these smartphones even then, and I was just using the h phone, no external docks, displays or the sort. In 2022 things have only gotten better since then so I don’t find surprising in the slightest that people may be able to kick a laptop out of their life for a smartphone with the massive displays on phones now even a desktop like docked experience isn’t really mandatory just a neat addition. You can do just enough on a phone screen as I experienced before in 2016
Sure, if you don't have any productive work you need to do in a timely manner, phones are great. Phones are still primarily consumption devices, and considering their horrible ergonomics compared to a decent laptop, I doubt that will change.
@@theglowcloud2215 for simpler tasks like document editing, working on images it was pretty easy to do things quickly. I got pretty fast and typing and editing text on a phone and had I got one with an S Pen things would only have been better. It’s not really all about ergonomics if you get used to something you can do a lot more than would seem practical at first. Though I would specify it was mainly this easy cos I was on android which does offer many “desktop-like” features such as basic file management as standard among other things which are still heavily crippled on iOS
@@theglowcloud2215 If you forget your laptop, though, and need to get things done it actually works incredibly well even without DeX. I've got full desktop workflows working on my A51 (which doesn't even support DeX) using the free-floating windows and accomplished a lot In addition, if it's between a phone and a Chromebook, take the phone. Chromebooks are absolute garbage and often make it outright *impossible* to get your work done.
i like the idea of sliding the phone into the laptop so its out of sight and just feels like a laptop, and i can see this being a more powerful experience in the far future when lets say quantum smart phones become and thing that makes it easier to optimize software and files. i like where its at even now, that you can fold the laptop up and it turn your phone into a tablet, works great for having a tv to watch in the car or on vacations. its def not meant to replace the gaming pc experience just yet tho, i would never want to get some serious gaming done on a 13" monitor and i think the price of these devices are not directed towards the average consumer, i want to buy one and experience it myself but ill wait until i can find one of these laptops for about $100
Dex is such an interesting concept. I have a S9+, so when I found out I could just plug my phone into my laptop to use my phone like a PC, I got very interested. Track pads are the big issue with such a setup, so I end up using a mouse even with my laptop, especially for gaming. I am a programmer by trade, so computing power is ultimately going to be the limiting factor of such a setup for me.
Haha, sort of. I certainly love and still own my n95 and enjoy its TV output capabilities. I even cobbled together a little dashboard mounted 7" LCD screen and small Bluetooth joystick to make it into a good GPS navigation and music player option in my car. But it was far from an attempt at a desktop experience.
I used to main my phone as a daily driver PC, from 2019 to last year. I wouldn't go back to it, but I feel like docks have potential to turn phones into hybrid microconsoles. Recently I had to go out of town to settle some problems with a former boss and my current phone connected to a dock with a Dualshock 4 served as a great emulation machine and media player.
I tried it and found it painful and restrictive. I went and bought a mid-range Chromebook with none of the annoyances and far more usability and am not surprised DeX is not really going anywhere.
I wished that Samsung would put their heart into making DeX to be atleast somewhat optimized. I absolutely love the concept but it is still at a 'beta' stage in terms of development imo. Perhaps they could put in more work into making it as close to a laptop with its usability and interface to actually replace a laptop in the future!
I have tried to make Android my main - all around - everyday tool for comunications, gaming, productivity, and media consumption... for the last 10 YEARS! I gave up about 18 months ago and have slowly removed myself from the Android enviroment. No amount of gadgets or APPs make the experience any better for me, there is always a catch, a caviat or impediment. It is even worsen by the industry itself like OP pointed out, removing the minijack or expandable storage... plus everything after 9:13.
I can agree with you. That is why I still keep my Windows machine despite using DeX. Android itself is far from a viable desktop OS replacement. If we really want to see smartphone as a PC, only Windows and Linux can do that.
It's mostly good to see tech progress eliminate device compartmentalization, but for those who'd be described as power-users (or even "medium" users) for smartphone and/or computers, I really think you can't fully consolidate the laptop and smartphone experience without something majorly compromising on at least one origin device type's side (i.e. sacrificing too much power and functionality of proper computer use and/or the convenience and speediness oriented experiences of the modern smartphone). And no, streaming substitutes for anything besides passive experiences (e.g. music and video) are nowhere remotely at acceptable levels of performance to be serviceable replacements. Especially gaming.
The power of ARM chips is now almost equal if not faster than x86 - Apple had proved this with their M1 chips Macs which is kicking all sorts of ass when coupled with x86 desktop apps that are compiled for M1 chips even when it comes to traditional "power user" apps like the Adobe editing suite - AND it's more power efficient at it. The limit is not hardware but software because power users are tied to legacy desktop OS and legacy desktop application. Windows on ARM with x86 emulation could've bridge that gap but either Microsoft or Qualcomm is holding it back. It's most probably Qualcomm, which is why Microsoft is now directly investing in their own ARM chip design, but MS might be heading towards dangerous territory because while I have no doubt MS has the capabilities to make a M1 rival tuned for Windows, if it is a MS only chip design that means the other OEMs can't make good Windows ARM machine so MS is still going to be stuck on square one.
Great review / experiment! I can totally relate on the almost usable front. I’ve been using an iPad as my only computer getting me through graduate school, and while I love a lot of the experience, there are definitely weird tablet things that require workarounds… like the Google docs app not being fully fledged enough for the assignments I need it for. I’m enjoying my tablet only experience, and I’m glad I tried it for a year. But, when I can save up the money, I will definitely be investing in a MacBook Air to complete the experience. If anyone is interested in the tablet only computing experiment, I highly recommend the Logitech Pebble mouse and Logitech keyboard, I think it’s the K380? The one with the round keys. That setup is super light and portable, easy to connect, batteries last forever, and the tactile feeling is great!
Ya know, I tried the 380, and man was it cheap! And I am not talking about cost... The battery cover was lost within a week, the keyboard sucks and it just eats batteries! I ended up getting a Microsoft compact wireless keyboard for $30 more and man, it is the perfect companion for the Samsung S6 Lite tablet
Definitely reflects my daily DeX usage. There are ways around the bugs and quirks, but that sense of "if it just had that little bit more" is maddening. It's so close and the issues seem so easy to fix that it's almost offputting.
@@Long0214 Making DeX work in a more seamless manner isn't going to kill laptop sales. If you need Windows software compatibility, you're not going to be looking at an Android device to replace it in the first place. Rather, this is more likely to impact their Tab sales, and is probably the same reason the Fold doesn't support DeX directly on the unfolded screen. Samsung want you to buy both the phone and the tablet, much like Apple, as complementary devices.
I have used dex in my truck on a s20fe, having 6 GB of RAM is not really enough to make it a usable experience. But I have used it to get around hotspot data limitations and also to watch movies while I am on my laptop doing something else.
I have one of these, and it’s really worth it because it’s usable for so much more than this. It can also be a second screen for your laptop or other pc and it can be an interface for headless systems, which is what I originally got it for. It’s a really versatile piece of kit.
Nice review. Also, whenever I see someone using a galaxy fold 3 it really looks so expensive and sophisticated and in turn makes its user look the same way. Now this is just my thoughts on it. Peace.
When I see people with really expensive things I wonder about economic inequality and whether they really need them in the first place and the stupidity that do often accompanies wealth.
One of the few kickstarters I have backed (and is a good example of why I don't back them) was the Superbook. It had a similar promise but could be used with any phone that had their launcher/mini OS downloaded. It was buggy as all heck and came a year and a half late. The cable only wanted to work half the time and would only work on Oreo (my old Nexus 6 was it's brains). A great premise that I think will eventually become fully realized, but not yet.
I love how you take these videos shots so seriously. You do a an excellent job Mr mobile. I'm always waiting for your next video. I'm a galaxy note user.
Certainly not for a finance professional. Two devices to keep powered at all times and then the overheating, as it is Elitebooks struggle with running virtual desktops with upgraded hardware. This set up is for "professionals".
Deeply confused by the meta "professional" digs in the replies, but yeah I agree: this isn't an ideal solution for high-demand, low-latency tasks (as I said in the video).
@@TheMrMobile Didn't mean it as any dig at anyone, not out to offend. Just being real that high powered laptops are buckling under the requirements the whole work from home thing has created.
Depends on what your "real work" is. A lot of people rely on office suite type apps which work on this. There are also video and audio editing apps, and there's browser based applications as well. This won't work for everyone but can work for a lot of people.
@@mistamaog Stuff like you say, just buy a $400 Chromebook or secondhand Windows machine and do all this with none of the downsides of mobility and compromises. DeX is a basically a windowed Android skin and seems pretty pointless to me as to use it like a Chromebook you have to have the hassle of multiple accessories and you do not have the portability with your phone attached to the display or nex-dock. Really just for those techies that love being different. I would not bother trying to get my parents to get this up and running. They do not need the hassle, an iPad just works.
My 2nd monitor was useless when my laptop broke 1 year and a half ago. I tried using Dex for my work from home (mostly google docs and sheets) and I'm actually comfortable of using it for work as I don't use apps that rely on a laptop/desktop much. I will still buy a new laptop but having Dex really helped so that I can still save money for a new laptop.
I had this dream 11 years ago when I bought my first Android device, the Motorola Atrix. I got it with the Multimedia dock since I figured that I would be near a screen most of the time (at the office, at home, etc). I took it to meetings with a wireless keyboard and mouse, I gave a PowerPoint presentation with it and it made me fall in love with crazy futuristic ideas such as the Asus PadFone and such. In the end I opted to keep my phones as a separated entity and instead go to the route of the Surface Book which replaced my Laptop and Tablet needs for 5.5 years and counting. I still believe that this is the future, but it will probably be Apple instead of Samsung that will make it happen with their crazy M1 chips. In the meantime I enjoy my simple but utilitarian Sony Xperia 5 II that houses all the ports and my Surface Book that I will probably replace soon with another convertible device
I so dig that ASUS Padfone idea. That is a real Android tablet replacement. It's just a shame that the smartphone power at that time is far from satisfactory. As for Apple, I so doubt if they will ever put M1 on iPhone but hey... no one knows.
Actually, I always use Dex at home! I've attached a Type-C hub/dock to my monitor, and I use it for TH-cam, some emails, web browsing etc. It has some flaws, but it is way faster than picking up my old laptop and its bulky power supply. With a mouse and keyboard it is very convenient. I hope that we can do always more tasks with desktop mode! It is also very useful on Windows, if you have to move photos from the cell to the PC, it's just a drag and drop.
I just got myself a used Samsung Note8. Despite the phone's green screen issue, I've started using DeX for the first time right away and here's what I think: It can be a laptop replacement, but only if Samsung brings back Linux on DeX. I've been using Samsung-modified Ubuntu distro in it and I truly love the fact that I have a proper desktop software experience right in my hands. I can use LibreOffice Write in the same manner as I use Microsoft Word on my Windows laptop with little to no difference. If Samsung or Google or anyone else can at least bring native desktop OS virtualization in Android Desktop Mode, the idea of smartphone replacing laptop is truly possible.
In 2010, I've dreamed of an one-device-control-all world, where I could enter into a library or cafe and reuse their 10 year old screens and keyboard. In 2016, Dex gave us a glimpse into this future. But in 2019, Linux on dex was removed, in 2021, the M1 became the cpu for 3 different devices with 3 seperate OS, and Chromium continues to fumble its 3 OS despite that Chrome book and tablet increased adoption. At this point, I kinda gave up on that dream. Enthusiasts and engineers can see the future that we all want, but profit margins gets in the way of progress.
Many company selling hardware don't want to sell a customer an all in one device. They prefere to sell multiple separated device per user that share many similarities and connect with each other in the same "echo system". Because, more profit. About 5 years ago I looked at replace all my devices with a 10 or 8 inches tablet from which I could do whatever I can on a phone (calls could've easily be done with a blutooth headset), on a laptop or tablet. I think Dex may be close, maybe I should give it a try.
I've been using my note 20 ultra with my nexdock 360 for close to a year. It's been great to have the phone for photos and mapping equipment locations while up a tower and in the field, and back in the vehicle I have the dock for fast typing and big screen. I've also got a metal panel and a "rockform" case on the phone with magnets built in so it's a slim form on the nexdock, and i can mount the phone and use it as a second screen. I also use a gpd win 3 with the nexdock, although the nexdock does not pass anything other thsn 5v, so i'm limited to the built in battery of the win3. NOTE - I've got my phone set to "minimum width 650dp" via dev options to get tablet ui on my phone, and this gives me desktop ui by default on dex.
Good video michael, i was waiting for someone to fully test the dex, specially for more specific tasks like software development or photo/video/audio editing. Ubuntu have been trying to do the same but from the other side of the challenge, Ubuntu Touch, their goal is to make all of programs/apps/services that run on linux be available natively on a phone, but then again linux desktop is not too popular on its own.
My 2 cents, this setup is more than enough for most people, and if you use something like Windows 365 you could cover a lot of work stuff too. It won't kill the laptop for some people (like me, probably), but I would go as far as saying that 90% of those using a laptop during travel could be using this instead. There are some things that could/should be improved, like extra battery, use some of the included phone features better, like the camera, improve multitasking or even multi monitor support, and this could become the norm. Also, you could imagine not even having your own docking station. What if your hotel room had one available, you just plug in your phone and start working? Go to a conference center and use their docking stations. I think it will happen, eventually.
I love DEX and I love the Nexdock. I wish DEX similar systems became more prevalent across other brands and more competitors propped up. Storing all your information, photos, work, documents in one single portable device and just arriving anywhere and plugging your phone to any screen to have a computer and being able to work and have everything you need anywhere is SO handy, you feel so light and agile. Modern phones are more than capable of doing 99% of what most people do on a computer, aside from real time rendering 3D/videos and playing heavy games, but even these you can already do pretty successfully using streaming services. If someone like APPLE will do it, it would instantly become the norm. The thing is why would they cut off the profits from their casual users who buy macbooks and iphones if they can sell them two overpriced devices instead of just one.
I can agree about modern smartphone computing power, but Android? Sorry, not a chance. If I really want to have a smartphone as a PC, I'll have it running Windows or Linux, not Android.
i think this is where mobile Linux distributions such as plasma mobile really shine. due to being a true desktop under the hood, they avoid literally all the software issues.
Dex is actually a great future. I am a student and when my laptop crashed and had to wait days for a replacement, I used Dex to get all my work done. Lifesaver. I also use it when I don't want to bring my expensive laptop for whatever reason (risk of being stolen), so instead bring a portable monitor and Bluetooth mouse and keyboard. This give me peace of mind knowing that if my tech gets stolen, it would only be a portable monitor instead of a $1500 laptop. I don't think it's ready to completely replace a laptop yet, but Dex can save you in a pinch and you can definitely get by with it in short to medium term.
I agree about your point of DeX isn't ready to completely replace a laptop as Android itself is far from a true desktop OS replacement. But I love the idea of the NexDock because I don't have to end up buying a tablet in the first place. Also, I can use the NexDock for mini PCs, Raspberry Pi, and game consoles as well.
@@farishanafiah8461 I dont know a lot about NexDock but you dont have to buy a separate tablet to use Dex if you own a Galaxy smartphone. I use it from my S21 and a 13" portable monitor.
The thing is, if we tie laptop use to phone use, then phones _really_ need to start offering more. You know, like actual ports on them. Lots of them. But phones as laptops is making the same argument as laptops as desktops. It hasn't happened for a reason. The power difference, the versatility, the reliability. More importantly, those other markets aren't gone. In fact, they've become far more capable. Cameras are better, wallets are better, dedicated music players are better. Meanwhile, many phones are _worse._ Notches, cutouts, lack of ports, lack of buttons, lack of upgradable storage. Imagine if that was your PC or laptop. People are now pushing for optical drives again after the sham that is cloud storage. And with phones as you main driver, that would be _worse._ We should be in control of the product we own. We don't lease them. We own them. Having what we own then dictated by somebody else is horrific. C'mon, mate. There's a saying about eggs and baskets. It exists for a reason.
I so understand your point about phones of today. With more brands starting to remove the still-relevant headphone jack and microSD card support, I definitely won't be surprised to see laptop sales keep on growing. After all, very few smartphones even support video output in the first place.
Hey Mr. Mobile! I'm a huge fan of your work. I wanted to give one tip I came across after watching your video in regards to the scroll wheel. If you want to scroll by line, set the wheel scrolling speed to slow under the mouse and trackpad settings.
I love your style. I can't describe how much I have enjoyed pieces from Z Fold 3. Not because the quality was super awesome, but because it was different. Keep it going. I have subscribed only recently (few months), but you are one of my way to go channels whenever I hit YT.
15:38 TBH Every Macbook Pro I've owned has dropped screws out eventually. Usually after a couple years I notice that some of the bottom screws are just missing.
![MrMobile [Michael Fisher]](http://yt3.ggpht.com/Bf8B_79jyHxP6CVnjV5WKws93l9Vxlk0d7aPmcBygTBDKzgsGrpazdJRFUrfg1sUNlo8YX8rji8=s48-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj)
![Whats In MrMobile's Tech Bag? [Everyday Carry 2022]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/-OG00IBi3FM/mqdefault.jpg)
UPDATE: NexDock got in touch to let me know the loose-screw phenomenon is a known issue, and I'm apparently one of only three users to report it. So that's good!
Also, while I didn't make it explicit in the video, it's possible to disable device charging in the NexDock control panel, which significantly extends the dock's battery life (but, naturally, won't leave you with a phone at 100% by the end of your session).
Most of the time I use dex wireless with my desktop computer. Zfold3, it generally takes me about 4 hours to run the phone down from 100% to 65%. So does it even need to be charging your phone? Not to mention you can just use a super fast charging 65watt charge to get that back to %100 in 30 minutes or so. Or since you have a fancy backpack, use a portable charger while you are walking around the seaport....... I mean haven't we all gotten used to the fact that charging is a thing by now? I can understand the point of someone that was going out without all their bags and gadgets and just their phone as to why they may be worried about battery capacity, but your use case is sitting still in a coffee shop or walking around with a bag filled with gadgets that can easily carry a portable charger....... I get that you don't want to have compromises in the tech and all but until we can have endless energy diamond encased nuclear powered phones, charging is a thing so I'm not really understanding the use case issue here.
the speakers are really bad !
hi mrmobile
@Michael Skinner you mean the guy that wants you to message him because he has something for you?
Michael, please asked Asus to resurrect Asus transformer V and padfone lineups in 2022
When I first heard of Dex, my mind jumped to a world filled with screen terminals, like how computers littered the hallways in my college. You could pocket your credentials and files and hook up to a bigger screen to finish work and print things. When you go home just connect to the tv for all your streaming
Yep, that's a part of the dream I didn't find time to mention in this video, but it's huge!
@Nehemek They still sell and make them. I have a buddy I was talking to a few minutes ago about this video. He uses one on a daily basis, as a sysadmin for a major hospital system. Carries it with him everywhere he goes, and even if the local machine where he's working is dead, he can get to his workstation in 5 seconds. He said it works great for his use case, but then again, he has screens and peripherals available to him everywhere he goes. Dex would require him to carry a BT KB/M.
@@TheMrMobile there's also Samsung's Smart Monitor, which is exactly like that but with some base functionality (kinda like Chrome OS)
It has become a dream setup to have something like S22 ultra as my main computing device with something like the smart monitor on my desk for a more ergonomic/productivity focused functionality.
@@TheMrMobile Have you seen the AVA wireless portable monitor? Not sure if there were similar tech but it as almost lag free at 1080p and really cool looking.
Imagine in the future when this tech improves more and becomes default on most devices like smartphones.
Then an AR/VR headset where you can project the desktop from your phone.
Then our brains will be fried with all the wireless stuffs 😂
This is something that was also visualized with things like the Motorola Atrix/Lapdock (also worked with the Droid Bionic), as well as the idea of Ubuntu Touch and convergence (the idea of hooking a phone to a dock to bring up the full version of Ubuntu as opposed to the phone OS - the Ubuntu Edge on Indiegogo in 2013 was supposed to bring this concept to the forefront). Also Continuum with Windows 10 Mobile.
I would love to be able to do this, but don’t know if this idea is yet ready for prime time.
Edit: whoa, just saw the Atrix get the nod from Mr. Mobile himself. Awesome!
As someone who used a Samsung Tab s6 for a year and half I really like the concept behind dex but it never felt truly finished. Hopefully this use case becomes more popular and Dex can get more focus.
I share the hope!
agreed
@@TheMrMobile 🙌 thanks for talking about dex
@@TheMrMobile is nextdock screen 120hz
True my tab s6 lags while multitasking tho
Finally a larger channel showing off the potential of our phones(and docks in general)
Mrwhosetheboss did this a while back too
@@Jdk.JK06 hmm but Mrwhoosetheboss never makes this kind of videos. I mean long and detailed videos. He always just mentions it for a short time or puts it in a video about many other things.
@@OXIR It does still count as coverage and attention for the company though
@@OXIR true
@@Jdk.JK06 yeah it does
I have a NexDock 360, and I LOVE it. I don't use DeX much, I use Parsec to remote into my desktop. If you don't have a desktop at home, DeX leaves something to be desired, but if you do, an app like Parsec makes it absolutely SEAMLESS to move from home to on-the-go, even doing work that a phone couldn't normally do by itself. And when I upgrade my Galaxy S10 to an S22 Ultra, it'll be an upgrade to my "laptop" too. I use a magnetic mount for the phone and a shorter USB4 cable, very clean look. For what I need in a "laptop," which is really just a screen, keyboard, and 4G signal, in a lightweight package, to connect to my desktop, the NexDock is really good.
What is the magnetic holder you use?
I've been using dex on my tab s7 with a BT mouse and I love it. I have a gaming PC and laptop for gaming and video editing but I use dex for literally everything else. It's good for basic word docs but falls apart with any docs that are more intense but it's surprisingly great for photo editing, especially with the S pen for fine tuning.
I only wish that android got better support cause that's the one issue with dex, the app support isn't great. You can get around a few of these issues with web apps through Samsung Internet but I wish that worked for more options.
Bro Samsung internet can't synchronize well with desktop browsers and can't export bookmarks properly. I wrote a lot of scripts and spent a whole day to finally export all my data and leave Samsung internet. Now I use opera, like every other major browser it can sync with desktop and export data in a format that other browsers can import. No longer locked into the ecosystem. Btw exporting is a very simple feature to program. Yet they focus on useless things and not this.
Google could have improved this concept by providing Chrome Os as the desktop mode on their pixel phones, if that ever happens I would definitely upgrade to a pixel phone
Absolutely but then they wouldn't sell as many Chromebooks. But, in saying that most Chromebooks are used in education so they would still sell a ton and having Chrome OS on Pixel phones would surely sell more phones so it is a mystery why they don't implement it. They probably have some corporate agreement with Samsung or something.
@@Cyba_IT i think the problem is that chrome OS has a monopoly on low budget laptops, so they have no incentive to compete by offering a hybrid option. If there was a good competitor to chrome OS they'd probably pick it up
@@Cyba_IT I disagree, I have seen portable dongles which cost just $30 and having chrome os built in I don’t think providing chrome os with the pixel phones would cannibalise the sales of chrome books
@@kentonwu4383 chrome os is not meant for doing heavy tasks it’s similar to Samsung dex than windows, chrome os is not targeting people who use a computer for performance, it is just meant for day to day tasks
@@kentonwu4383 not a monopoly you can get a budget laptop with better performance for the same or lower price as a chromebook they might not feel as fast due to windows being garbage but if you put linux on it it would be like a chromebook but less garbage
During the very first months of the pandemic in 2020 I used Dex to connect to online lessons at school and I loved it. It was surprisingly usable for most things (videocalls, note taking on Google Docs or Samsung Notes, web browsing, media streaming, playing games with controllers). It had a lot of bugs at the time and a lot of features were still missing, but I enjoyed it a lot.
After 2 months of daily Dex use, I got a Windows laptop, which has been my main desktop device, since then, and I haven't got the chance to use Dex anymore.
I sometimes still try it and I'm amazed by how much it has improved in the past couple of years, with a lot of quality of life features added.
But as you said, if you already have a real laptop, there is no reason to look into Dex or similar, because your laptop does more things and better, but I still think it's a great addition and something that definitely needs to stay and be improved over time.
On tablets, however, I think it's one of the best things out there. Being able to have a normal tablet UI for finger and pen usages, and then switching to a desktop UI when connected to a keyboard really makes it shine in a lot of situation, and the fact it's baked into the main display, instead of requiring an external monitor like on phones, really makes you use it more.
I genuinely believe Dex is one of the most important advantages Galaxy Tabs have over the competition, iPads included. If Apple implemented something similar, allowing iPad to run a MacOS-like UI when connected to the Magic Keyboard, it would be revolutionary. But as you said, they probably never will because they get way more money forcing you to buy both...
I love dex for online classes , I didn't have to buy a laptop for that and I'm grateful. I just hook up the galaxy tab to the monitor and take notes on the tab and watch the class on the monitor. If i bought a ipad i would never be able to do that without a laptop
"revolutionary"
You don't know what that word means.
@@PSYCHOV3N0M Allowing a powerful M1 iPad to run more apps side by side in an actual usable way is a revolution compared to the current limited iPadOS which can't even keep apps open in background... That is revolutionary, making the M1 chip an actual feature and not a gimmick as it's now. If turning a tablet in a powerful desktop device isn't revolutionary, then tell me what is it...
@@cristiansumma29 agree only if it was open source we could've seen dual booting both windows and iPad OS on same device the OnePlus 6 already does it imagine it with M1 chipset
here is my thinking about dex: android apps are great. compare the website of youtube/netflix to the app of the same for example. and in dex you get a big screen running the better version of the website. i used the note8 version for months and while a bit clunky, it was super useable, websurfing, video watching and multitasking AND anything communication! video calls are a breeze, if the app supports send on enter its a dream to chat too.
the tablet point: the chromebooks do the same, they switch to "table UI", meaning forced full screen and no taskbar, and its horrible. dont have a tablet to try but...well its android based so its probably better
Stuff like this is really exciting. Imagine a singular device that does everything; just plug into your office, your home, your car, etc..
Exactly. Sadly, we've been imagining it for more than a decade!
@@TheMrMobile Then they couldn't sell you multiple devices that basically do the same things.
I don’t know that there is any difference between a single device that plugs into everything and many devices synchronized through cloud which we mostly already have
Your video was not too long. Your narration, production value and filming are all top-notch. Everything about your videos screams, "professional" and it's a genuine pleasure to watch. I especially love how you highlight local businesses.
Considering that the dock still takes up similar/same physical space, might as well get a product that can function independently of ur phone
On the surface, no disagreement there. There’s stuff my computer just does better than my smartphone. However, one thing I have always found annoying was having a text conversation on my phone, being on my computer doing a work task or whatever, and basically having to switch between my phone and my computer every few minutes. Seems stupid and insignificant, but it really can be an annoyance. Especially if I’ve put my phone down to charge, or if you’re someone like me who can get sucked away from a task once they turn away from the computer relatively easily. Apple’s ecosystem has been a relatively decent stopgap so far, all calls/texts/iMessages get funnelled to my computer as well as my phone, and some of the other communication apps I use do also have a desktop counterpart to make some of this easier. Heck, nearly every major productivity suite from Apple, Google, and Microsoft use the cloud to keep your work synced across all devices. But it’s not quite the same. It still takes time to get back to where I was in a document (heck, to even pull up the document). It takes time to get back to that movie I was streaming, and it may not even pull up all that close to where I left off. Having a system where I can literally just dock my phone, everything comes up on a bigger screen, and my phone’s UI shifts to recognize the connected screen and accessories would be exceptionally helpful. Also helps lower some costs for corporate, only having to secure one device rather than 2-3 per employee.
You save space on cooling ssd cpu ram and such in the dock
@@jonatamaniuk Most messaging apps have desktop clients and Google gives you the possibility to use SMS in a web app with desktop notifications
@@resneptacle agreed, yes, most have a desktop client. Many of those desktop clients end up needing to still be paired with the phone app. The WhatsApp application seems to frequently lose connection (personal experience, at least). Having a single device functioning as the “brain” of our computing experience I do think could still function better. How many times do you have to stop and update the app in three (or more) different places? Think of it almost like the original Google Chromecast. All accounts / apps / etc live on your phone so to speak, things only get pushed to your TV when you connect. Not to mention, being able to do the exact same things on your phone as you can on your tablet or laptop would mean in some cases not having to bring your laptop with you. I recall one of the manufacturers (I believe it was Blackberry) showing what it could be like being able to do everything from one single device from a business perspective for one of the devices they manufactured. Simplified everything.
I used a UPerfect X and LG Screen+ exclusively for an academic conference, and the worst part was simply not having enough room for the phone and Lapdock on the small provided desks, and having to move the cord around everywhere when I went from one part of the room to another. Integration is the final missing piece before I could fully switch TBH. Andronix was great for Apps though, since Android can now run most Linux apps.
I use LG Screen+ from time to time , It's so cool that I can develop apps on my tv with a bluetooth keyboard and the tv remore works great as mouse
It's amazing how most docks don't even give you a simple clamp.
@@TheMrMobile I bought a little pouch to hold my phone on the back, but even then, the phone weighed the screen down, so it couldn't be used upright. It's a huge issue 100%
@@NigelMelanisticSmith imagine a Lapdock with a phone clamp in the style of an old laptop dvd drive. It would slide out and slide back in, and your phone won't weigh down the screen.
If you're listening, here's a free idea lapdock makers
@@finnjacobs that does sound nice. It would make it easier to change phone generations too, ie. fold 1 to Fold 2
For years I have followed his channel and I knew he will gain many many more followers. All his videos are like a journey with something to learn and realistic approach to the use of product. It’s always a treat when he takes the viewers out on sight seeing to beautiful spots. It’s a breath of fresh air from other’s regular reviews.
I was so excited about the NexDock, but, after 2 months of trying to make this thing work, it’s become a $350 phone dongle that rarely gets used. As mentioned, the track pad is awful. Battery life is dismal. Speakers…if they can be called speakers. BUT, my biggest frustration came at the hands of the micro-SD slot. It won’t eject the Mini SD card. I cannot for the life of me get that card out of the slot.
When I first started using the Nexdock I could see the advantage of having the phone mounted on the side. I purchased a Doter Laptop Phone Holder on Amazon. BTW it works great. However, my S22 Ultra is just heavy enough that when attached to the phone holder the Nexdock screen won’t stay upright if pushed past a 45-degree angle. The USB ports need help. There are 3 USB C ports, First one is for charging only, Second one is for the phone input only, and the last one is for data. However, the data port it’s in the exact spot my wrist is when using a mouse (because the track pad sucks) so any adaptor or dongle is naturally in the way.
Bottomer line, I really like DEX. The Nexdock not so much, If I could send my nexdock back I would. I would have been better off spending $350 on a potable battery powered monitor and a folding keyboard with a track pad. Which begs the question why does Nexdock costs $350? It is so much better and easier to hot spot my phone and use my laptop.
Thank you for your review and comments,
Track pad is inherently Android's problem for not having proper support of it. The NexDock is also useful as an all-around portable monitor for mini PCs as well.
I love these in depth long reviews much more than the short ones that only tell the really important stuff. That's because the really important stuff is usually really obvious and if I want to truly know more about something I am always looking for a review like this one.
I agree. Most reviews often skimp the obvious. It’s details like these that are far more important since it’s actually the small, seemingly trivial things that can easily make or break an experience.
I love that you took the time to make this video. I find it frustrating that for different tasks you often need to buy so many devices e.g. iPad for touch and pen but PC/Mac to use an external display for multitasking. Our devices are so capable but so often held back by software or even a manufacturer’s decision to not give it more functionality
I use Dex to edit my smartphone photos in my LG ultriwide monitor. It is fantastic how much I can do with it. I am considering getting a Samsung laptop to unify my UI. Said that there are two trends that undermine Dex: (and you mentioned them) first is the lack of a micro SD memory in newer Samsung models with dex (I have a S20 FE, I got my documents in a 128 gb memory), it forces you to choose the cloud and in consequence internet plans. The other is the lack of headphon jack. I cannot plug at the same time the speakers because I occupy the usb-c port with the cable,, I tried wireless but was unstable. I don't know if in the Samsung multiadapter there is room for it but is difficult to get
This is why I'm thankful I still use my Note 9. =)
I believe it is one of the last flagship Samsung phones to have both SD card support and the headphone jack. And it supports DeX.
@Carl Gunderson Fair point. What I mean is that Dex seems to me to have a nice user interface. If I would get a new laptop now (for my heavy work in CAD) I think a Samsung laptop would feel more comfortable as their software UI is designed to resemble the One U.I. interface. For now I use Dex to edit photos in the lightroom mobile app, and I just spent the previous days copying my work files. As now I do much of my work with my S20 FE it helps me the idea to process data without need of transferring it to the laptop.
@Carl Gunderson Samsung computers get access to Samsung apps. Samsung Notes is indispensable to me for example.
I use a DisplayLink dock, a Dell D6000, to plug in what the heck ever I want to at my desk, phone or laptop or whatever, and my phone's display-out through the USB-C port works just fine. The headphone jack is also supported. I've tried an Orico WB-11P with my phone as well; the USB-A ports don't work for data transfer but the audio through the headphone jack does work.
In other words, go shopping around for a dock that will charge your phone while allowing you to get video output, audio output, and hopefully some spare USB-A ports as well. Please learn from my example: support for features through USB-C is a wild west, and docks may or may not play nice with your devices. Read a lot in advance and be ready to return a product at the drop of a hat if it doesn't work with your phone, or PC, or whatever. You should be able to plug in a single USB-C cable and have a display, mouse, keyboard, and headphones waiting for you at your desk at the end of the day.
@@skyscall You can install that on any pc by simply googling the exe file, it works identicially on my desktop as it does on Galaxy Book S, even gets updates despite being "Unsupported"
Here's something really cool, a lot of old '90s adventure games can be run in a program called ScummVM, which was natively ported to Android. Meaning that you could run those games natively on that setup with that meeting to resort to cloud streaming. You just got to get the game files onto your phone somehow. It even supports cloud saving with various cloud storage providers so you can have the same games on different machines and continue from multiple devices as long as you have it logged into whatever cloud storage provider you use.
SCummVM is amazing. Remember using it on Nokia phones in the SymbianOS era. And on the Nokia N900. It runs on so many different platforms and they do a great job trying to keep everything up to date.
Neat! 👍
Have yall tried BOFA platform to run games??
@@Huidos001 it's outdated now, I use the LIGma emulator now
I got my Edge+ (Edge 30 Pro, here) going now and hooked up an external screen I already had; it's a portable model with two USB-C ports, one for power, the other for image from the phone... and the thing will pass the power on to the phone if I plug in a power supply, even up to 60 watts, which I did not expect. It's *ridiculously* cool. Full-screen video, full-screen desktop, and full screen gaming with a game controller. Dex who? Motorola is owning them in my opinion. I'm so glad I changed my mind and went with the Motorola, this functionality is gorgeous and will come in so handy on trips.
motorola does not make laptops and if google allows maybe will see a decent version this. it is been years since i wait for this but laptops and entry level pc 's will be gone so i don t hold my breath. it would be nice tho
I'll never buy another Motorola. Good luck with yours.
Love my Samsung so much, I use it to connect to phone gaming emulators, streaming sites that don't have apps, and it basically helped me cut cable. Video taught me even more features it can do!
I did a 2 day test on Ready For. For those 2 days I've switched fully from my laptop to a Motorola Moto G100 with Ready For while working my usual IT job. And the thing is I was not missing any feature from my laptop. I was totally able to do all my tasks and sometimes even better and faster than on laptop (project management tool was way better in mobile version). I've also ask all my coworkers if they noticed any differences. Nobody did. So I think for some of us the revolution is already here ;).
Makes sense, seems to me ready for is better than dex, how is the g100 btw?
@@sisamusudroka3000 it is great. Now it is my daily phone and it is more than enough ;)
@@PaweNasiadka nice, too bad only the edge is available in my country
it could easily kill off the laptop it's just software thats in the way of it, some phones can now have windows 11 full 11 installed on them, if microsoft cared to remake windows then it would be a pc replacement
It’d be a lot more than that I’d think considering what laptops can deliver. If it’s something like a chrome book or netbook though, then yeah. But if you’re gonna spend money on all those accessories and a decent enough phone to use it, it’s just make more sense to buy used or decent enough laptop.
That is why I still believe that Microsoft can easily resurrect the Lumia lineup with Windows on ARM.
What I don't get is why Google and Samsung don't just try to replicate the polish of Chrome OS as a "universal desktop mode" built into Android by default instead of every brand fending for themselves. *¯\_(ツ)_/¯*
But form factor wise I can definitely see myself in 2030 with AR/XR smart glasses and a folding tablet or 7-inch "fold and slide" phone that transform into a 12.5-inch as my daily carry.
Not really just due to software. If you're gonna do daily tasks, then sure, but it's a whole different ball game if you're gonna do something intensive such as 4k gaming, big data computations, etc. Hardware will still matter.
@@keyjeyelpi obviously it wouldn't replace gaming laptops or pcs that require power it would be stupid to even think that what I mean is regular laptops
It's not long enough, Mr. Fisher. Great video as always!
That’s what she said!
His production values are always so impressive, it's obvious he puts more hours in to editing and planning than just about anyone else I watch.
It's not Mr. Fisher, it's Tony Stark.
I have used Dex a lot recently. My company made some security updates to their email system and IT played some games on my work PC to get Outlook to work properly. However, Outlook on my home PC can't connect anymore and rather than sitting on the phone with IT for an indeterminate amount of time, I decided to plug my phone into the pc. I was able in a few seconds to access my company e-mail using a comfortable 32" monitor. It does have some issues as you mentioned but these should be easily fixed in software, if Samsung chooses to do so.
7:31 Star Trek 25th Anniversary, I played this on my Amiga A1200 back when I was young.
I wanted to try this out wirelessly when I first got my HP Elite X3 smartphone years ago
God, that phone was such a beast. I miss Continuum.
Having a single device that could do everything was one of my dreams for years. I feel like a couple of things have led me to give up the dream and be satisfied with basically a phone, an iPad, and a desktop computer. Cloud storage and online clients for office software is a big part of the reason. I liked the idea of a dockable phone because I wanted to be able to have “my stuff” everywhere but now everything is available on all of my devices because love it or hate it, my stuff is all in the cloud. The main reason though is that phones got bigger and the interfaces have gotten better to the point where i can do most things on my phone. I can thumb type almost as fast as I can type on a laptop and I have gotten used to doing a lot more stuff like quick document edits and email on it. I have gotten to a point where my desktop pc is for work, my tablet is for consuming video and other content, and my phone is for everything else.
Wow! What a beautiful, cinematic, experience your reviews are! I watch just for the videography, editing and puns!
As for Samsung Dex - not having the desktop version of apps is a deal breaker for me. I revisit it every year or so with high hopes, and although its a great experience for 70% of what I do, not having the full functionality of my apps like Microsoft OneNote is a deal breaker.
So, the absolute "I just subscribed and liked this video for this one reason" clinch detail is that you know how to do narration. Others have a grasp on tech, yeah, ok, thanks... but the narration comes off as either too passe or technobabble. You know how to speak for voice over. It's genuinely captivating.
Ouch on the Nexdock. I have never used Dex for more than an hour or so. This is a great video.
How freaking good are these videos? Great job as always Michael. Sad that these features are still not ready for prime time.
Thanks for coming along on this strange adventure!
Great video. Perfect length 👍🏼
Really wish Ubuntu would have gotten their whole "convergence" thing to work. I do think we're heading this way, at least for basic computer use. I don't know if every workflow will be able to work this way, but a lot of them can be adapted.
Me too! It was such a great concept and got so, so close.
Well... Ubuntu Touch by UBPorts is working on it; so they say.
And they might get there. But they aren't exactly fast-moving... ^^; Their documentation is still impressively ancient in terms of device porting...
Their concept was so much more than this but that also means it's much more harder to do and unfortunately, Canonical isn't big enough to do it and eventually dropped the project.
The project is still alive with UBports but it's a very small community. I hope a billionaire wakes up one day with the desire to support this project 😂
Same, that was the very first time I heard of this concept. However, the Linux Community is working hard on bringing full desktop Linux to smartphones. The Pinephone, Librem 5 and some others have sparked interest in the (dev) community and the development of the touch/phone GUI's and apps is going fast. The desktop side is already there of course, in a very mature way. That would be just your regular KDE or GNOME interface with full desktop programs, compiled for ARM.
Ever since I got the Tab S6, I've been using my tablet/s on Dex Mode a lot. I'm currently using S7+ and will upgrade to S8 Ultra soon. I gotta say, Dex has improved a lot and I'm looking forward to its future development. The only bummer I can think of is the discontinuation of Linux on Dex. Nonetheless, I am glad that Samsung continually improves on Dex.
For the price of those 2 tablet upgrades within a few years you could have just gotten a used MacBook air though. And probably have way fewer weird things to work around. I don't know but it feels like trying to find a solution for something that already exists.
If at done point this works as well as a surface pro in "Computer mode" and as well as an ipad in tablet mode, it'll be great, but until then I'd rather have a surface pro and a phone.
You’re bringing back memories of my Motorola Droid and the Lap Dock. I still have it! Thrilled to see a similar device made an appearance. I really enjoyed watching this and I wish Dex could take off better than it has. I’ve tried Dex with my Note10 and given up for now.
I remember when Sony launched the Xperia Z4 tablet + laptop dock. I genuinely tried using it exclusively as a laptop but it just couldn't. But as you highlighted in this video, even with iPad Pro now and the amazing magic keyboard dock, it's still not 100% a laptop experience and it actually resulted in me buying an even bigger 16 inch laptop. But, I enjoy the trying no less.
Secondly, like you with the fold. I genuinely love watching videos on my phone over TVs these days. I have the Xperia 5iii and whilst it's not a 4k screen, it's actually the clarity of those speakers that make it perfect. Soooo clean.
I love the idea and I'm sure it will be part of the future. It's simply less stuff to worry about getting updates and being backed up. However, what really grinds my gears is that my Fold 3 doesn't support the Thunderbolt / USB C input my desktop screen provides, which also acts as hub for keyboard and mouse for my desktop computer and laptop. Why, Samsung?!
Three years ago, the motherboard in my work laptop died and I had to live on Samsung Dex with Galaxy Note 8 for two weeks, before my laptop came back from repairs. Productivity was certainly down but the whole setup was usable and allowed me to get the job done, using primarily Office 365 apps and various SaaS web applications.
This was almost an instant buy for me. But it's too bad about the batterylife and the speakers. Here's hoping for the next one.
At least the price is good. And as far as I know they ship world wide for free! That's pretty dope.
Edit: I just realized, that if we soon go portless on our phones, this will be useless.
Yeah....
Portless isn't happening.
And anyone who buys that is dumb
You could buy a miracast dongle and use wireless dex instead. Anyway portless would be stupid for samsung. While Apple have a slow lightning connector, samsung have high speed usb 3.2 that can be used for literally anything
@@Matanumi The cynicism in me can't help but think Apple will have the "courage" to go portless just to avoid the UN usb-C regualtion lol
@@Matanumi People said the same for the headphone jack.
Loved it! Back in the early 2000s, I loved the idea of being able to do everything from a small mobile device. I had adapters for Windows CE devices, the NEC MobilePro, output accessories for my Palm, etc. The prospect of not having to haul a laptop around for just showing a PowerPoint presentation at a conference or checking email was so enticing! But those handhelds were too small to really be productive. I waited with bated breath for the Palm Foleo, a small "dumb" subnotebook device that would connect with your Palm. You could have your portability and a more usable form factor. But it got cancelled, laptops got smaller and thinner, and smartphones took off. Still, it's a cool concept. I'd try Dex, but I prefer my iPhone.
same
I appreciate the variety of products you go through and the landscape you cover. Yours is a perfect channel for me to learn and be entertained 🎉
You forgot to mention that this was a community derived idea.
At first, years ago it started as an XDA Developers project that had android + Ubuntu when connected to a monitor and a keyboard.
I remember when i saw N95 Advertisement boards with a tag line "Is this what Computers have become"
I've seen loads of videos about NexDock and lapdock in general. As much as I love this kind of gadget, there's no going away from the fact that Android itself is far from a worthy desktop/laptop replacement. For a smartphone to be a true pocket computer, it needs to have a mobile OS that can run desktop apps or softwares. That is why I truly dig GNU Linux smartphones like the Purism Librem 5 and the PINE64 PinePhone as they are the closest thing we can get for a real pocket PC. Someone even manage to successfully run GIMP in a PinePhone running Manjaro Phosh Desktop Mode without any problem at all.
That's what I was thinking of the entire time I was watching this. Yeah, I'm sure the fold is way more powerful than the pinephone. I mean, pinephone isn't trying for.flag ship specs, but from what I've seen, it seems the docked experience with Linux phones is greatly superior to dex, simply because they're not shooting themselves in the foot trying to prevent the death of laptops. If we could get fold level specs on a phone running an actual desktop Linux OS smoothly... My God, I'd never even consider another laptop, tablet, or in my case, even a desktop.
Hell, from what I gather, steam deck has a better docked experience. This is the future of computing, it's just not android or windows that will take us there.
@@codyofathens3397 I can still see huge potential for Windows Phone as a true pocket PC since we have Windows on ARM, but Android will never replace either two.
I think the only one with potential and dont use it is Apple with the m1. And with this "the future" since the Motorola hahaha, we have a decade already and none solved the issues. It is expensive, don't work in a lot of cases and well, a lot of other issues
Video is NOT too long. It takes time to really communicate and understand something. Thank you for the longer video! It's a refreshing change from all the less than 8 minute videos that try to address short attention spans.
I feel like the windows feature to access your phone features wirelessly is going to play a key role in bridging the gap. If a company that made dex with this same function with some lightweight software to connect the two, then that would eliminate the tether requirement. Extenernal hardware outside of that I think will always be the issue.
Oh man, love to see the Atrix! Didn't own one myself, but as a young teenager when that came out I totally loved every trip to the Sprint store. Speaking of that awesome era, I hope we see a video on that dual-screen Kyocera some day!
(Also, sad to see 2g and 3g shutting down this year making so many classic phones even more useless.)
this is the first time i've managed to be on time for a mrmobile video lol
I remember when I first switched to an android device from windows phone in 2016 I didn’t touch my laptop for over a year simply because I had such a wide array of apps right on my phone to do most of the tasks I would need my laptop for. I was really impressed with the versatility of these smartphones even then, and I was just using the h phone, no external docks, displays or the sort.
In 2022 things have only gotten better since then so I don’t find surprising in the slightest that people may be able to kick a laptop out of their life for a smartphone with the massive displays on phones now even a desktop like docked experience isn’t really mandatory just a neat addition. You can do just enough on a phone screen as I experienced before in 2016
Sure, if you don't have any productive work you need to do in a timely manner, phones are great. Phones are still primarily consumption devices, and considering their horrible ergonomics compared to a decent laptop, I doubt that will change.
@@theglowcloud2215 for simpler tasks like document editing, working on images it was pretty easy to do things quickly. I got pretty fast and typing and editing text on a phone and had I got one with an S Pen things would only have been better. It’s not really all about ergonomics if you get used to something you can do a lot more than would seem practical at first. Though I would specify it was mainly this easy cos I was on android which does offer many “desktop-like” features such as basic file management as standard among other things which are still heavily crippled on iOS
@@theglowcloud2215 If you forget your laptop, though, and need to get things done it actually works incredibly well even without DeX. I've got full desktop workflows working on my A51 (which doesn't even support DeX) using the free-floating windows and accomplished a lot
In addition, if it's between a phone and a Chromebook, take the phone. Chromebooks are absolute garbage and often make it outright *impossible* to get your work done.
i like the idea of sliding the phone into the laptop so its out of sight and just feels like a laptop, and i can see this being a more powerful experience in the far future when lets say quantum smart phones become and thing that makes it easier to optimize software and files. i like where its at even now, that you can fold the laptop up and it turn your phone into a tablet, works great for having a tv to watch in the car or on vacations. its def not meant to replace the gaming pc experience just yet tho, i would never want to get some serious gaming done on a 13" monitor and i think the price of these devices are not directed towards the average consumer, i want to buy one and experience it myself but ill wait until i can find one of these laptops for about $100
Dex is such an interesting concept. I have a S9+, so when I found out I could just plug my phone into my laptop to use my phone like a PC, I got very interested. Track pads are the big issue with such a setup, so I end up using a mouse even with my laptop, especially for gaming. I am a programmer by trade, so computing power is ultimately going to be the limiting factor of such a setup for me.
What cable do you use?
@@Manusia.satu1 The USB-A to USB-C charging cable.
The N95 offer a experience like this, using the TV output, and the bluetooth support for mouse and keyboard.
Haha, sort of. I certainly love and still own my n95 and enjoy its TV output capabilities. I even cobbled together a little dashboard mounted 7" LCD screen and small Bluetooth joystick to make it into a good GPS navigation and music player option in my car. But it was far from an attempt at a desktop experience.
I used to main my phone as a daily driver PC, from 2019 to last year. I wouldn't go back to it, but I feel like docks have potential to turn phones into hybrid microconsoles. Recently I had to go out of town to settle some problems with a former boss and my current phone connected to a dock with a Dualshock 4 served as a great emulation machine and media player.
The dex is so underated, I wish more people would use it and realize how cool it is
I tried it and found it painful and restrictive. I went and bought a mid-range Chromebook with none of the annoyances and far more usability and am not surprised DeX is not really going anywhere.
@@andyH_England The biggest problem is that it doesn't support portrait orientaion
@@andyH_England it's an okay alternative, I've tried it and its good for typing up documents
Dex needs to be more than just cool!
Honestly if you want a lightweight mobile OS get ChromeOS. It's loads better than Dex.
I wished that Samsung would put their heart into making DeX to be atleast somewhat optimized. I absolutely love the concept but it is still at a 'beta' stage in terms of development imo. Perhaps they could put in more work into making it as close to a laptop with its usability and interface to actually replace a laptop in the future!
And then Samsung can sell their laptops with DeX as a Chromebook competitor or default ChromeOS skin
I have tried to make Android my main - all around - everyday tool for comunications, gaming, productivity, and media consumption... for the last 10 YEARS! I gave up about 18 months ago and have slowly removed myself from the Android enviroment. No amount of gadgets or APPs make the experience any better for me, there is always a catch, a caviat or impediment. It is even worsen by the industry itself like OP pointed out, removing the minijack or expandable storage... plus everything after 9:13.
I can agree with you. That is why I still keep my Windows machine despite using DeX. Android itself is far from a viable desktop OS replacement. If we really want to see smartphone as a PC, only Windows and Linux can do that.
It's mostly good to see tech progress eliminate device compartmentalization, but for those who'd be described as power-users (or even "medium" users) for smartphone and/or computers, I really think you can't fully consolidate the laptop and smartphone experience without something majorly compromising on at least one origin device type's side (i.e. sacrificing too much power and functionality of proper computer use and/or the convenience and speediness oriented experiences of the modern smartphone).
And no, streaming substitutes for anything besides passive experiences (e.g. music and video) are nowhere remotely at acceptable levels of performance to be serviceable replacements. Especially gaming.
The power of ARM chips is now almost equal if not faster than x86 - Apple had proved this with their M1 chips Macs which is kicking all sorts of ass when coupled with x86 desktop apps that are compiled for M1 chips even when it comes to traditional "power user" apps like the Adobe editing suite - AND it's more power efficient at it. The limit is not hardware but software because power users are tied to legacy desktop OS and legacy desktop application. Windows on ARM with x86 emulation could've bridge that gap but either Microsoft or Qualcomm is holding it back. It's most probably Qualcomm, which is why Microsoft is now directly investing in their own ARM chip design, but MS might be heading towards dangerous territory because while I have no doubt MS has the capabilities to make a M1 rival tuned for Windows, if it is a MS only chip design that means the other OEMs can't make good Windows ARM machine so MS is still going to be stuck on square one.
Rip google plus
No. It's only that way due to current market setup. You may call yourself a power user, but you're clearly not versed in hardware.
Great review / experiment! I can totally relate on the almost usable front. I’ve been using an iPad as my only computer getting me through graduate school, and while I love a lot of the experience, there are definitely weird tablet things that require workarounds… like the Google docs app not being fully fledged enough for the assignments I need it for. I’m enjoying my tablet only experience, and I’m glad I tried it for a year. But, when I can save up the money, I will definitely be investing in a MacBook Air to complete the experience.
If anyone is interested in the tablet only computing experiment, I highly recommend the Logitech Pebble mouse and Logitech keyboard, I think it’s the K380? The one with the round keys. That setup is super light and portable, easy to connect, batteries last forever, and the tactile feeling is great!
Ya know, I tried the 380, and man was it cheap! And I am not talking about cost... The battery cover was lost within a week, the keyboard sucks and it just eats batteries! I ended up getting a Microsoft compact wireless keyboard for $30 more and man, it is the perfect companion for the Samsung S6 Lite tablet
Michael, it makes me very happy that you're riding Amtrak. Have you ridden the new Acela?
Rode Amtrak monthly for ten years and I loved it. Haven't been on the re-done Acela yet though!
1:42 my goodness. 2011 is already a decade ago. Time flies really fast.
It would be awesome if Samsung actually figured out how to fit a laptop into a phone-sized device or vice-versa.
I love your longer videos, keep them up 😀
Definitely reflects my daily DeX usage. There are ways around the bugs and quirks, but that sense of "if it just had that little bit more" is maddening. It's so close and the issues seem so easy to fix that it's almost offputting.
They don't want to kill laptop sales
@@Long0214 Making DeX work in a more seamless manner isn't going to kill laptop sales. If you need Windows software compatibility, you're not going to be looking at an Android device to replace it in the first place. Rather, this is more likely to impact their Tab sales, and is probably the same reason the Fold doesn't support DeX directly on the unfolded screen. Samsung want you to buy both the phone and the tablet, much like Apple, as complementary devices.
Very interesting video. You make some really compelling points on just why... Why.... Would anyone even want this?
Thanks bud!
I have used dex in my truck on a s20fe, having 6 GB of RAM is not really enough to make it a usable experience. But I have used it to get around hotspot data limitations and also to watch movies while I am on my laptop doing something else.
I have one of these, and it’s really worth it because it’s usable for so much more than this. It can also be a second screen for your laptop or other pc and it can be an interface for headless systems, which is what I originally got it for. It’s a really versatile piece of kit.
definitely good with a headless server
Absolutely true. It's also useful for people on a budget that can't have a separate external monitor, keyboard, and mouse.
When you go this in depth, just over 17 minutes is not long at all!!!
Nice review. Also, whenever I see someone using a galaxy fold 3 it really looks so expensive and sophisticated and in turn makes its user look the same way. Now this is just my thoughts on it. Peace.
When I see people with really expensive things I wonder about economic inequality and whether they really need them in the first place and the stupidity that do often accompanies wealth.
One of the few kickstarters I have backed (and is a good example of why I don't back them) was the Superbook. It had a similar promise but could be used with any phone that had their launcher/mini OS downloaded. It was buggy as all heck and came a year and a half late. The cable only wanted to work half the time and would only work on Oreo (my old Nexus 6 was it's brains). A great premise that I think will eventually become fully realized, but not yet.
I love how you take these videos shots so seriously. You do a an excellent job Mr mobile. I'm always waiting for your next video. I'm a galaxy note user.
This video was too short, if anything! The documentary-ish feel to it is amazing, keep them coming!
Certainly not for a finance professional. Two devices to keep powered at all times and then the overheating, as it is Elitebooks struggle with running virtual desktops with upgraded hardware. This set up is for "professionals".
I find it hilarious when these tech guys call themselves professionals.
Oh yeah, everyone's a professional these days. No need to get the CPA or pass the bar anymore.
Deeply confused by the meta "professional" digs in the replies, but yeah I agree: this isn't an ideal solution for high-demand, low-latency tasks (as I said in the video).
@@TheMrMobile Didn't mean it as any dig at anyone, not out to offend. Just being real that high powered laptops are buckling under the requirements the whole work from home thing has created.
@@zohanele.d139 Good point for sure!
This is ideal for those that need to check their mail on desktop but this will never be powerful or efficient to get real work done.
Depends on what your "real work" is. A lot of people rely on office suite type apps which work on this. There are also video and audio editing apps, and there's browser based applications as well.
This won't work for everyone but can work for a lot of people.
@@mistamaog what you've described is not real work.
@@mistamaog Stuff like you say, just buy a $400 Chromebook or secondhand Windows machine and do all this with none of the downsides of mobility and compromises. DeX is a basically a windowed Android skin and seems pretty pointless to me as to use it like a Chromebook you have to have the hassle of multiple accessories and you do not have the portability with your phone attached to the display or nex-dock. Really just for those techies that love being different. I would not bother trying to get my parents to get this up and running. They do not need the hassle, an iPad just works.
ITT: bunch of people trying to tell others what "real work" is and isn't. popcorn.gif
@@andyH_England Completely agree with you.
I actually loved the longer video!
Great to have your videos going on in the background while washing dishes and doing chores around the house. Kind of like an video news editorial.
My 2nd monitor was useless when my laptop broke 1 year and a half ago. I tried using Dex for my work from home (mostly google docs and sheets) and I'm actually comfortable of using it for work as I don't use apps that rely on a laptop/desktop much. I will still buy a new laptop but having Dex really helped so that I can still save money for a new laptop.
I use dex all the time on my tab s6 lite
It's an amazing feature that should get more attention and more focus from samsung
Nice to see my girl Thao getting some love!
Her videos taught me a lot about the DeX hardware that's available beyond NexDock!
I had this dream 11 years ago when I bought my first Android device, the Motorola Atrix. I got it with the Multimedia dock since I figured that I would be near a screen most of the time (at the office, at home, etc). I took it to meetings with a wireless keyboard and mouse, I gave a PowerPoint presentation with it and it made me fall in love with crazy futuristic ideas such as the Asus PadFone and such. In the end I opted to keep my phones as a separated entity and instead go to the route of the Surface Book which replaced my Laptop and Tablet needs for 5.5 years and counting.
I still believe that this is the future, but it will probably be Apple instead of Samsung that will make it happen with their crazy M1 chips. In the meantime I enjoy my simple but utilitarian Sony Xperia 5 II that houses all the ports and my Surface Book that I will probably replace soon with another convertible device
I so dig that ASUS Padfone idea. That is a real Android tablet replacement. It's just a shame that the smartphone power at that time is far from satisfactory.
As for Apple, I so doubt if they will ever put M1 on iPhone but hey... no one knows.
Actually, I always use Dex at home! I've attached a Type-C hub/dock to my monitor, and I use it for TH-cam, some emails, web browsing etc.
It has some flaws, but it is way faster than picking up my old laptop and its bulky power supply. With a mouse and keyboard it is very convenient. I hope that we can do always more tasks with desktop mode! It is also very useful on Windows, if you have to move photos from the cell to the PC, it's just a drag and drop.
I just got myself a used Samsung Note8. Despite the phone's green screen issue, I've started using DeX for the first time right away and here's what I think: It can be a laptop replacement, but only if Samsung brings back Linux on DeX. I've been using Samsung-modified Ubuntu distro in it and I truly love the fact that I have a proper desktop software experience right in my hands. I can use LibreOffice Write in the same manner as I use Microsoft Word on my Windows laptop with little to no difference. If Samsung or Google or anyone else can at least bring native desktop OS virtualization in Android Desktop Mode, the idea of smartphone replacing laptop is truly possible.
Do the fairphone 4 next , please
In 2010, I've dreamed of an one-device-control-all world, where I could enter into a library or cafe and reuse their 10 year old screens and keyboard. In 2016, Dex gave us a glimpse into this future.
But in 2019, Linux on dex was removed, in 2021, the M1 became the cpu for 3 different devices with 3 seperate OS, and Chromium continues to fumble its 3 OS despite that Chrome book and tablet increased adoption.
At this point, I kinda gave up on that dream. Enthusiasts and engineers can see the future that we all want, but profit margins gets in the way of progress.
Exactly. Only Windows and Linux can be a true bearer for smartphone as a laptop replacement.
Many company selling hardware don't want to sell a customer an all in one device. They prefere to sell multiple separated device per user that share many similarities and connect with each other in the same "echo system". Because, more profit. About 5 years ago I looked at replace all my devices with a 10 or 8 inches tablet from which I could do whatever I can on a phone (calls could've easily be done with a blutooth headset), on a laptop or tablet. I think Dex may be close, maybe I should give it a try.
I've been using my note 20 ultra with my nexdock 360 for close to a year. It's been great to have the phone for photos and mapping equipment locations while up a tower and in the field, and back in the vehicle I have the dock for fast typing and big screen. I've also got a metal panel and a "rockform" case on the phone with magnets built in so it's a slim form on the nexdock, and i can mount the phone and use it as a second screen.
I also use a gpd win 3 with the nexdock, although the nexdock does not pass anything other thsn 5v, so i'm limited to the built in battery of the win3.
NOTE - I've got my phone set to "minimum width 650dp" via dev options to get tablet ui on my phone, and this gives me desktop ui by default on dex.
Mate. I reckon this is your best video yet. It makes so much sense. Keep them coming.
Samsung DeX really blew me away
Good video michael, i was waiting for someone to fully test the dex, specially for more specific tasks like software development or photo/video/audio editing.
Ubuntu have been trying to do the same but from the other side of the challenge, Ubuntu Touch, their goal is to make all of programs/apps/services that run on linux be available natively on a phone, but then again linux desktop is not too popular on its own.
Always curious to try Ubuntu's/UBport's Convergence. But you're right, it's pretty difficult to swallow for now
My 2 cents, this setup is more than enough for most people, and if you use something like Windows 365 you could cover a lot of work stuff too. It won't kill the laptop for some people (like me, probably), but I would go as far as saying that 90% of those using a laptop during travel could be using this instead. There are some things that could/should be improved, like extra battery, use some of the included phone features better, like the camera, improve multitasking or even multi monitor support, and this could become the norm. Also, you could imagine not even having your own docking station. What if your hotel room had one available, you just plug in your phone and start working? Go to a conference center and use their docking stations. I think it will happen, eventually.
I love DEX and I love the Nexdock. I wish DEX similar systems became more prevalent across other brands and more competitors propped up.
Storing all your information, photos, work, documents in one single portable device and just arriving anywhere and plugging your phone to any screen to have a computer and being able to work and have everything you need anywhere is SO handy, you feel so light and agile.
Modern phones are more than capable of doing 99% of what most people do on a computer, aside from real time rendering 3D/videos and playing heavy games, but even these you can already do pretty successfully using streaming services.
If someone like APPLE will do it, it would instantly become the norm. The thing is why would they cut off the profits from their casual users who buy macbooks and iphones if they can sell them two overpriced devices instead of just one.
I can agree about modern smartphone computing power, but Android? Sorry, not a chance. If I really want to have a smartphone as a PC, I'll have it running Windows or Linux, not Android.
i think this is where mobile Linux distributions such as plasma mobile really shine.
due to being a true desktop under the hood, they avoid literally all the software issues.
Preach! Linux smartphone should really go mainstream. That is a true pocket PC right there.
Dex is actually a great future. I am a student and when my laptop crashed and had to wait days for a replacement, I used Dex to get all my work done. Lifesaver. I also use it when I don't want to bring my expensive laptop for whatever reason (risk of being stolen), so instead bring a portable monitor and Bluetooth mouse and keyboard. This give me peace of mind knowing that if my tech gets stolen, it would only be a portable monitor instead of a $1500 laptop. I don't think it's ready to completely replace a laptop yet, but Dex can save you in a pinch and you can definitely get by with it in short to medium term.
I agree about your point of DeX isn't ready to completely replace a laptop as Android itself is far from a true desktop OS replacement. But I love the idea of the NexDock because I don't have to end up buying a tablet in the first place. Also, I can use the NexDock for mini PCs, Raspberry Pi, and game consoles as well.
@@farishanafiah8461 I dont know a lot about NexDock but you dont have to buy a separate tablet to use Dex if you own a Galaxy smartphone. I use it from my S21 and a 13" portable monitor.
Will smartphone kill laptop?
No. It wont
The thing is, if we tie laptop use to phone use, then phones _really_ need to start offering more. You know, like actual ports on them. Lots of them. But phones as laptops is making the same argument as laptops as desktops. It hasn't happened for a reason. The power difference, the versatility, the reliability. More importantly, those other markets aren't gone. In fact, they've become far more capable. Cameras are better, wallets are better, dedicated music players are better. Meanwhile, many phones are _worse._ Notches, cutouts, lack of ports, lack of buttons, lack of upgradable storage. Imagine if that was your PC or laptop. People are now pushing for optical drives again after the sham that is cloud storage. And with phones as you main driver, that would be _worse._
We should be in control of the product we own. We don't lease them. We own them. Having what we own then dictated by somebody else is horrific. C'mon, mate. There's a saying about eggs and baskets. It exists for a reason.
I so understand your point about phones of today. With more brands starting to remove the still-relevant headphone jack and microSD card support, I definitely won't be surprised to see laptop sales keep on growing. After all, very few smartphones even support video output in the first place.
I've not really seen any resurgence of optical drives and people are still using cloud storage as a whole, it's not going away you know
Hey Mr. Mobile! I'm a huge fan of your work. I wanted to give one tip I came across after watching your video in regards to the scroll wheel. If you want to scroll by line, set the wheel scrolling speed to slow under the mouse and trackpad settings.
Your videos are always a joy to watch. They can never be too long. Please, keep them coming!
I love your style. I can't describe how much I have enjoyed pieces from Z Fold 3. Not because the quality was super awesome, but because it was different. Keep it going. I have subscribed only recently (few months), but you are one of my way to go channels whenever I hit YT.
omggg i just love my z fold 3 so much. If there's an integrated pen for the fold 4 I'll be upgrading
15:38 TBH Every Macbook Pro I've owned has dropped screws out eventually. Usually after a couple years I notice that some of the bottom screws are just missing.
The Video is never to long I love going on the adventure in Tech with you.
Do not forget that linux on DeX existed and was pretty good! Worked really well.Would be nice to have it back
For screen light up when using DeX without reason, go to Keyboard option > screen keyboard location > change this to MONITOR.
Also you can adjust the scroll to slow in settings. But even the slowest still too fast for mouse scroll...