Samsung killed its traditional DeX mode in One UI 8, however there’s a very good motive

Samsung DeX is without doubt one of the greatest options of One UI, letting you rework your highly effective Galaxy telephone or pill into a conveyable PC. You merely hook up your Galaxy gadget to an exterior show, hearth up DeX mode, and join some equipment, and you’ve got a full desktop expertise. DeX has developed over time, however the newest One UI 8 launch brings its most vital modifications but. Samsung has killed off the “traditional” DeX expertise, changing it with a brand new model that’s arguably a downgrade for now. Nevertheless, this alteration is poised to repay handsomely sooner or later. Right here’s why.

Samsung launched DeX with the Galaxy S8 sequence in 2017, over two years earlier than Google added even a rudimentary desktop mode to Android. As a result of Android natively lacked a lot of the performance DeX required, Samsung needed to make vital under-the-hood modifications to the working system. For instance, Samsung modified core Android elements so as to add its personal desktop windowing system, a devoted desktop launcher, and an improved linked show expertise. This required a large effort that didn’t cease on the preliminary launch, as Samsung needed to carry these customized modifications ahead by a number of Android releases.

Samsung is within the enterprise of promoting Android telephones and Home windows PCs (…and a ton of different issues), although, in order that they have little incentive to speculate closely into reworking Android right into a full-fledged desktop OS. Because of this, DeX has lengthy been simply “ok” for informal customers wanting to look at media or do mild work on the go, however it has by no means been strong sufficient to completely exchange a standard PC for professionals.

Google, nevertheless, is a unique story. The corporate has spent years making an attempt to interrupt into the PC market with ChromeOS, which has seen main success within the training sector. However growing two working techniques concurrently is inefficient, so Google is pooling its assets to merge the 2 platforms. This effort entails bringing many Chrome OS options to Android, equivalent to a desktop model of Chrome with extension help, a Linux setting, and extra.

As a part of these efforts, Google is lastly including correct desktop windowing and a brand new linked show expertise to Android. The Android 16 launch introduces a Desktop Mode with many DeX-like options, equivalent to a taskbar on the backside and help for freeform app home windows. This new mode is, the truth is, constructed on the very basis of Samsung DeX. Google and Samsung collaborated to enhance desktop windowing on Android, culminating within the new expertise we see as we speak.

With Google now growing a local desktop mode for Android, there’s now not a necessity for Samsung to keep up its personal closely modified model of DeX. Doing so could be counterproductive, requiring Samsung to continuously adapt its code to Google’s modifications and threat breaking compatibility with apps constructed for giant screens. Whereas telephone makers typically follow their very own software program options even after Google introduces a inventory equal, this case is completely different. Desktop Mode is poised to turn out to be a core a part of Google’s future Android technique, making its adoption important.

Samsung really started this migration in One UI 6.0 with its “new” DeX mode for tablets. Whereas the corporate nonetheless supplied its “traditional” DeX as an possibility then, it has eliminated it in One UI 8 to concentrate on constructing options on prime of Google’s native Desktop Mode. This alteration is in the end a very good factor, because it means Samsung DeX will inherit the brand new options and enhancements Google introduces within the coming years.

Nevertheless, the preliminary transition may annoy some customers. The present model of DeX in One UI 8 lacks lots of the small quality-of-life options that Samsung added to its traditional mode over time. With assist from Reddit person FragmentedChicken, we compiled the next record of variations between Samsung’s “traditional” DeX and the brand new DeX in One UI 8:

• The toggle to Auto begin when HDMI is linked has been faraway from DeX settings. Nevertheless, this has been successfully changed by the Prolonged possibility beneath Settings > Related gadgets > Samsung DeX > Related show, as by default, DeX will now begin when the telephone’s display screen is prolonged to an exterior show.

• The settings for Taskbar, Keyboard, Set default audio enter, and App icon badges have been eliminated.
  • Taskbar: Can now not toggle auto disguise taskbar, toggle the navigation buttons, toggle the finder (search button), toggle the keyboard language, toggle the keyboard (both on display screen or on telephone), toggle the amount, or toggle the screenshot button.
  • Keyboard: Can’t set the on display screen keyboard location both on the linked show or the telephone by default, can’t toggle displaying the on display screen keyboard when a bodily keyboard is getting used.
  • Set default audio enter: This setting made sounds play by the linked TV or monitor when Samsung DeX began.
  • App icon badges: Modified how notifications have been proven on app icons, both as a small quantity or a dot.

• The Move pointer to telephone display screen web page has been eliminated. This setting allow you to select in case you wished to allow mouse continuity between the telephone and exterior show. It has functionally been changed by the Android 16 show topology function that lets you rearrange the place your telephone and exterior show are situated in digital house. Nevertheless, mouse continuity is enabled by default now and can’t be disabled.
• Lock DeX and exit DeX buttons have been faraway from the app drawer: The lock DeX button locked DeX, requiring you to enter your telephone’s display screen lock or biometrics. The Exit DeX button allowed you to stop DeX.
• The Pin app button has been faraway from apps’ header bars. This button allowed you to pin an app to maintain it on prime of different apps you open.

• MultiStar eliminated the “I❤️Samsung DeX” menu. The “Excessive resolutions for exterior show” possibility continues to be there in the primary MultiStar menu, however the “run many apps at similar time” which allowed you to run greater than 5 apps at a time, auto open final app which allowed you to reopen the final app you had open, and set taskbar and header bar show time possibility which lets you change the delay for displaying the header bar have been eliminated.
• Miscellaneous conduct modifications
  • You possibly can’t snap home windows to the highest anymore, however you may nonetheless double click on app headers to maximise them.
  • You possibly can’t proper click on the taskbar to entry taskbar settings
  • You possibly can’t proper click on the desktop to vary how apps are sorted, clear up the desktop, or entry display screen zoom settings
  • Lastly, the app header bar and taskbar stay on display screen even in case you’re making an attempt to look at a video in full display screen.

So far as we will inform, the one proprietary DeX elements that stay are its touchpad, wallpaper settings, S Pen integration, and wi-fi show connectivity. Fortuitously, the brand new model of DeX retains a lot of the fundamental performance of the traditional expertise, so most individuals ought to be glad with it.

Whereas Samsung may add some traditional options again in future updates, there’s no assure. One factor is definite, nevertheless: Samsung gained’t be returning to its previous DeX implementation. Nevertheless, assuming Google commits to its desktop Android plans, the long run for the brand new model of DeX seems vivid.