How I turned my previous TV right into a monitor free of charge

Key Takeaways

• Samsung DeX transforms your Galaxy telephone’s interface into one thing tailored for bigger screens.
• DeX makes use of primary gear like a USB-C hub or dongle to connect with your goal show.
• DeX is purposeful for searching, streaming, and writing, however lacks extra strong PC software program assist.

Samsung DeX is probably probably the most under-utilized built-in Galaxy smartphone characteristic. By merely plugging a Samsung telephone right into a TV or a monitor, you may unlock a tailored desktop expertise, outputted instantly onto the bigger panel.

Samsung has been slowly however steadily iterating on its desktop-like interface for numerous years, leading to what’s in the present day a reasonably strong PC expertise.

For the longest time, I have been fascinated with DeX and it is implications for the way forward for cellular computing, and but I’ve struggled to discover a use case that matches into my private workflow.

A family TV improve left me with an previous, small, flatscreen panel with none cable field or sensible performance to name its personal. Unwilling to let my previous TV accumulate mud or turn out to be e-waste, I turned to DeX.

Then, the right alternative arose — a family TV improve left me with an previous, small, flatscreen panel with none cable field or sensible performance to name its personal. Unwilling to let my previous TV accumulate mud or turn out to be e-waste, I turned to DeX.

This is how I did it.

What’s wanted for DeX to work

To get Samsung DeX up and operating, you will want a vacant show of your individual — this could possibly be an previous, small flatpanel, or a pc monitor with both HDMI or USB-C assist.

Then there’s the telephone consideration: Samsung has a useful assist web site that lists any and all DeX-compatible Galaxy gadgets. Older telephones just like the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S9 each require bespoke DeX docking {hardware}, whereas all newer fashions perform with out this constraint.

Do not forget the dongle

My Galaxy S20 has a USB-C port with assist for HDMI output, and my previous TV has an HDMI enter port. To sq. this circle, I merely used one of many many USB-C hub equipment at the moment obtainable available on the market.

I occur to have a Satechi hub, which options ports starting from USB-A, Ethernet, microSD, and, after all, HDMI. You can too go for a easy USB-C to HDMI dongle from any obtainable retailer.

Getting DeX up and operating

As soon as you have gathered the required {hardware}, the setup itself is close to easy. Samsung has accomplished good work in making all the course of a plug-and-play expertise:

1. Plug your Galaxy into your TVutilizing a dongle or hub to transform from USB-C to HDMI.
2. Be certain your TV’s on-screen enter mode matches the bodily port that you have plugged your telephone and dongle into.
3. Unlock your Galaxy and settle for the immediate asking for permission to entry DeX mode.

When you plug your telephone into your TV and easily see a mirrored model of the telephone display, swipe down in your notification panel, and faucet on the DeX fast setting tile.

From right here, it’s also possible to head to Settings –> Connections –> Bluetooth to wirelessly pair a keyboard and mouse to your setup. You can too use your Galaxy’s show as a makeshift trackpad, which might be enabled by way of your notification panel.

When you’re accomplished taking part in round with DeX, or just need to untether your telephone out of your flatpanel, comply with these steps:

1. Press the Apps button, which might be discovered within the decrease left nook of the interface.
2. Faucet on Exit DeX.
3. Unplug your Galaxy.

So, can a TV DeX setup actually substitute a PC?

Virtually, however not fairly

As a proof of idea, operating Samsung DeX on my previous, small flatpanel principally hit the mark. All of the hallmarks of an interface geared in direction of productiveness are current and accounted for — an utility drawer analogous to a PC Begin Menu, a taskbar, a number of floating and cascading home windows, and so forth.

Lots of the in-app experiences nonetheless give off that unshakable feeling of constraint.

In case your workflow consists of utilizing web-based companies, searching the web, and phrase processing, you may completely get by with simply DeX. Nonetheless, the Android ecosystem nonetheless would not assist sufficient optimized large-screen purposes. Lots of the in-app experiences nonetheless give off that unshakable feeling of constraint, such as you’re being shackled to the inherent ideas of cellular software program.

TVs are designed to be mounted on the wall or positioned in an leisure heart

Placing apart the necessity for a considerably ugly dongle or USB-C hub, the largest DeX disadvantage I bumped into from a {hardware} perspective has to do with the TV show itself.

Mileage varies based mostly on TV mannequin and desk setup, however if you happen to decide to retool an previous flatscreen panel, you may anticipate to ask undesirable neck pressure into the equation.

Not like customary laptop displays, which supply adjustable viewing angles, TVs merely aren’t designed with desktop utilization in thoughts. My previous flatpanel is sufficiently small to make it an excellent measurement for a desk, nevertheless it presents nothing in the best way of adjustability. Mileage varies based mostly on TV mannequin and desk setup, however if you happen to decide to retool an previous flatscreen panel, you may anticipate to ask undesirable neck pressure into the equation.

Trying in direction of the long run

Flagship telephones throughout the board lean in

The sheer quantity of processing energy a contemporary flagship telephone incorporates is nothing wanting outstanding. Different Android OEMs are fortunately starting to take the plug-and-play idea severely, which merely wasn’t the case a couple of quick years in the past.

Motorola is one such OEM main the pack with its ‘Prepared For’ PC interface, and Google itself has been internally twiddling with a local desktop mode since not less than 2016.

I will not be a full-time convert fairly but, however I can safely say that this would possibly not be the final time I experiment with utilizing my previous TV as a DeX PC.

​​​​​​I loved my experiment of operating DeX on my previous TV, and the novelty issue by no means wore off in the course of the take a look at interval. I streamed YouTube movies, I browsed the online, and I typed up segments of this text throughout my transient stint. For all of those duties, the expertise was not solely a serviceable one, however a nice one.

That being stated, DeX nonetheless lacks a lot of the specialised software program that many PC customers rely upon to get work accomplished. In my case, the dearth of full-fat Adobe apps is a reasonably important roadblock to cope with.

Throwing within the accompanying ergonomic challenges, I in the end pulled the plug on DeX and went again to my trusty M1 iMac setup. I will not be a full-time convert fairly but, however I can safely say that this would possibly not be the final time I experiment with utilizing my previous TV as a DeX PC.

FAQ

Q: Which Samsung gadgets assist DeX?

This is the present lineup of gadgets that assist DeX.

Q: What’s Samsung DeX?

Inititally launched in 2017 as a puck-like hub with USB, Ethernet, and HDMI ports to connect with the Samsung Galaxy S8 collection, DeX lets you hook up with a much bigger platform to view smaller cellular apps. Primarily, it permits for a laptop computer show of a cellular app model. You may join to point out Samsung DeX on a monitor, pill, TV, or laptop computer show. Along with utilizing the apps already put in in your telephone and exhibiting them on a much bigger display, it’s also possible to reply and make calls whereas utilizing DeX.