I have used Samsung DeX as a PC replacement for much of the past two years. In the process, I learned a lot both to love and not love about Samsung’s Android-based desktop. Here are some of the more exciting aspects I wish I had known about sooner.

Wireless DeX is surprisingly usable

A wired connection is better, but wireless isn’t trash

To be clear, the best way to use Samsung DeX is to plug your phone directly into an external display. As with anything, a hardwired connection is more stable and reliable than a wireless one. That said, I was surprised to find that wireless DeX isn’t a waste of time. In fact, I often preferred it as a way to make using my wireless lapdock feel more like using a laptop.

A wired connection is awkward. It’s okay on a desk or table, but having a phone dangling from my lapdock is barely manageable on my lap. I found wireless DeX to be more than usable enough for me to type or browse the web in those situations. There was even a period of time when I relied on wireless DeX for entire workdays rather than physically connecting to a monitor.

The experience varies based on the age of your phone. I found wireless DeX to work much better on my Galaxy Z Fold 6 than the prior year’s Galaxy Z Fold 5. I haven’t had a chance to test the Galaxy Z Fold 7 or the newer Galaxy S26 Ultra, but there’s a chance that the wireless dock connection is even better.

Brand

Samsung

SoC

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5

Display

6.9-inch Dynamic Super AMOLED 2X

RAM

12 or 16 GB

Storage

256GB, 512GB, or 1TB

Battery

5,000 mAh

Get the new Galaxy S26 Ultra with AI smarts and an all-new privacy display. It’s big, powerful, packed with AI, and you’ll love the S-Pen stylus. 

I could still use most external accessories

All I needed was a USB-C hub

Credit: Bertel King / How-To Geek

Our smartphones, for better or worse, have one USB-C port. It stands to reason that if that USB-C port is connected to an external display, then you have zero remaining ports.

But phones aren’t the only devices in this situation. There’s actually a decent chance you own a laptop that only has a couple of USB-C ports and need to rely on a certain USB-C accessory whenever you want to connect things to your computer.

It turns out a Samsung phone is nearly just as capable of connecting to external devices. This is why a USB-C hub is the best cheap phone upgrade. With one, you can plug in flash drives, HDMI cables, Ethernet, and full-size SD cards. Just don’t attempt to use a DVD drive. That’s not going to work.

Wireless casting is a great replacement for a tablet

The convenience of a phone, but with a larger screen

Credit: Bertel King / How-To Geek

We usually speak of DeX as a desktop replacement. After all, it looks like a Windows PC or a Chromebook. Yet when you pair DeX with a wireless lapdock, it starts to feel much more like a tablet replacement.

I like to place a tablet on a tablet stand and watch YouTube videos while I’m washing the dishes. This exact same exercise is available when using DeX with a lapdock. I can place the lapdock in tent mode on my kitchen counter and play whatever video I want wirelessly. The upside of this is that I can keep my phone nearby and use it as a remote control. A lapdock can also be used for other tablet tasks, such as reading large PDFs and comics.

Dex is a superior gaming experience

It’s better than gaming directly on your phone

Credit: Bertel King / How-To Geek 

I knew that there was nothing stopping me from playing mobile games using DeX. What I didn’t know was just how big an improvement this experience would be.

You see, our phones have internal displays with very high resolutions. Many of us have external monitors that have a lower screen resolution than our phones. Lapdocks, in particular, tend to have 1080p screens. The same can be said for many of the aging flatscreen TVs we have held on to or Full HD desktop monitors that some still prefer over 4K.

Phones are designed to play mobile games with a smooth refresh rate at a very high resolution. When plugged into an external display, these games run just as smoothly as they do on our phones. But that’s not all. Cloud gaming effectively turns a DeX-equipped phone into a gaming console.

DeX is an affordable way to experience AR

Get a taste before deciding whether to invest in VR

I played through much of game developer Don’t Nod’s gaming library via NVIDIA GeForce Now and a virtual display. I didn’t need an expensive XR headset. All I used was a Samsung phone connected to AR glasses.

If you’re not sure whether VR is for you, you can buy a significantly cheaper pair of AR glasses and connect them to your Samsung phone. You can then use the desktop as you otherwise would or sit back and enjoy streaming video on a large virtual display. If you like this taste, then you can consider where you want to invest more money on an even better experience, like the Samsung Galaxy XR.

7/10

Connective Technology

DisplayPort-over-USB-C

Speakers

Yes

The RayNeo Air 3s Pro are a solid pair of video glasses with a limited AR/XR feature-set for a fair price. 

Samsung DeX is great, but it’s not perfect.

I no longer use a Samsung phone or DeX as my primary computer. I ultimately ended the experiment for the same reason I eventually stopped using Chrome OS—Google made changes to the experience that I didn’t like, and there was no way to undo them. Samsung DeX also lost quite a few features in its One UI 8 update, which incorporated aspects of Google’s new Android-based desktop (though it’s still not as basic as Google’s version). I’m not particularly excited for the changes introduced in Googlebooks, either. Fortunately, you don’t have to go 100% all-in on DeX like I did to enjoy its benefits.