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Samsung DeX review

Samsung DeX review : the S8 won't replace your desktop PC

Introduction

Samsung had an idea: what if, instead of constantly juggling between a smartphone and a desktop, one could simply use their phone to do all of their daily work, simply plugging it into a dock when in need of a bigger screen? Okay, when we say “Samsung had an idea”, we actually mean something more in line with “a bunch of companies, including Microsoft, Splashtop, and Jide, had an idea which never really took off for a variety reasons, and Samsung is now trying it out as well” - but that sure isn’t as catchy.

And it’s easy to see why this would be an attractive proposition – a PC, even a low-powered one, isn’t particularly cheap, so why pay for one when you already have another stuffed inside your pocket?

The premise is simple: the Samsung DeX Station is a relatively small, puck-shaped piece of plastic, which, when opened up, becomes a dock for the Galaxy S8 or S8+. This dock can be hooked up to a monitor, mouse, and keyboard, in order to ultimately become one of the most full-featured desktop experiences a smartphone can currently offer.

The hardware

You really can’t not like the device’s build – its puck-shaped exterior is small and unobtrusive, and can sit well on your desk, provided you are able to successfully hide all the wires protruding from its back. It’s heavy, but not really heavy enough – while this may not seem like an obvious problem, it can become one very quickly if you, say, accidentally tug on a cable or push the dock the wrong way. While we haven’t experienced any accidents just yet, there’s a constant fear that one is waiting just around the corner. So any users of the DeX Station should make sure to position it away from arm’s reach to avoid turning their shiny new smartphone into a metaphor for consumerism.


Setting up the DeX Station is easy: just plug in an HDMI cable connected to your monitor, hook it up with a charging cable (no, this step isn’t optional, and no, there isn’t one included in the box), and connect a mouse and keyboard (via one of the USB ports or via Bluetooth, depending on what hardware you own). Then just push on its top below the Samsung logo to make it slide out, and plug your Galaxy S8 into the USB-C connector hidden inside.

Of particular note here is the opening mechanism, which wouldn’t under normal circumstances be particularly noteworthy, but oh my god it’s so smooth. In fact, I’d go as far as saying that this is actually the best feature of the DeX Station, one that could easily turn it into a stress-relieving fidget toy when not in use.

The back side of the puck is dedicated to ports: a small USB-C one used for charging, an HDMI out, an optional ethernet jack, and two large USB connectors. And no, before you ask, there is no 3.5 mm audio jack

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