Smartphones are dear. Apple’s premium iPhone 15 Pro Max begins at $1,200 and Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S24 Ultra begins at $1,300. I bought an iPhone 15 Pro Max when it got here out in September 2023 and must admit that typing these numbers makes me really feel somewhat uneasy. That is some huge cash. The worth of a kind of telephones might maintain a month’s hire.
As the prices of those gadgets rise, it will get harder to rationalize shopping for them, particularly when there are extra reasonably priced choices that give these premium devices a run for his or her cash. However what in case your top-of-the-line smartphone might double as your laptop?
Learn extra: Best Cheap Phone of 2024: Most Value for the Money
With Samsung DeX, you may remodel a Galaxy cellphone or pill into a pc by merely plugging it right into a monitor. You can even wirelessly join Galaxy telephones or tablets to sure TVs to make use of DeX.
My monitor appears to be like like its plugged right into a laptop computer, but it surely’s all coming from the Galaxy S24 Extremely.
Since I take advantage of an iPhone, I had no concept this characteristic even existed till just lately. The primary time I attempted it, my thoughts was blown. My monitor seemed prefer it was plugged right into a laptop computer, but it surely was all coming from the S24 Extremely. Nonetheless, I wasn’t certain if it might do all the things my laptop computer might do, and I used to be decided to seek out out. So I ditched my MacBook for the day to see if the Galaxy S24 Extremely and Samsung DeX might substitute it.
DeX simply is sensible
![s24ultrapluskeyboard](https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/36cb0ac8b4467f30c079876c85cb318dd96f70b9/hub/2024/06/14/66a68268-6979-48cd-a914-db7108197d44/s24ultrapluskeyboard.jpg?auto=webp&width=1200)
Typing on my wi-fi Apple keyboard in DeX mode.
It felt bizarre to go to the workplace with out my laptop computer. Nevertheless it ended up being so good to solely carry the (roughly half-pound) S24 Extremely as an alternative of my almost five-pound MacBook Professional. I additionally beloved that I might simply join the S24 Extremely to my Dell monitor on the workplace and management all the things with the wi-fi Apple keyboard and mouse I already had. The truth that you may plug and play like that is, in my humble opinion, an enormous a part of the great thing about the Samsung DeX.
As I labored, I observed so many particulars about DeX that impressed me. For instance, once I plug the S24 Extremely into my monitor, a four-panel display screen seems on the cellphone. At first I wasn’t certain what it was for, however I finally realized it was a trackpad I might use to maneuver the cursor on the monitor. So if you do not have a mouse, no drawback. You’ll be able to simply use the cellphone itself. (Try the video above to see how this works.)
![fourpanel2](https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/5dfb5c0a16855519a3676a3b7c5f7b844c4aa979/hub/2024/06/14/c9d3aab0-0678-468c-a302-72d561de3ba8/fourpanel2.jpg?auto=webp&width=1200)
In case you look carefully, you may see the 4 panel display screen that seems on the S24 Extremely once I plug it into my Dell monitor.
One other cool element is that you would be able to nonetheless use your cellphone as a separate system even because it’s appearing as your laptop in DeX mode. So I may very well be, for instance, modifying a photograph on my monitor whereas concurrently utilizing the S24 Extremely to do one thing completely completely different, like testing CNET.
![phoneandmonitor](https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/99359d6fb3b9cf7bb70fd32cdaeecb8ab62c729d/hub/2024/06/14/9f319812-84b0-4fc4-b7ca-3843031243d6/phoneandmonitor.jpg?auto=webp&width=1200)
Modifying a photograph in DeX mode whereas utilizing the cellphone to go to CNET.
Finally, the extra I used DeX, the extra I noticed it simply is sensible. As an example, I all the time attend conferences with my laptop computer to take notes and pull up present tasks. So once I could not carry it to my one-on-one with my supervisor, I felt like I used to be exhibiting up empty-handed. However in actuality, all the things I wanted was (actually) within the palm of my hand. DeX closes the hole between cellphone and laptop, so I wasn’t lacking out by solely with the ability to carry the S24 Extremely. It had the identical info on it because the “laptop” I used to be typing on minutes earlier than with DeX. I used to be in a position to unplug the cellphone from my monitor, simply take notes and open my tasks through the assembly, after which plug the S24 Extremely again into my monitor to maintain engaged on these tasks after the assembly. The transition from DeX mode, to cellphone, and again to DeX mode is seamless. It is genius.
However how effectively can DeX truly deal with all of my each day duties? Loads of my days are spent testing merchandise and scripting movies, and this was a kind of days. I used to be, after all, attempting out DeX, wanting up any questions I had on Google Chrome and organizing my ideas in Google Docs. I used to be additionally utilizing Zoom and Slack to remain linked to everybody.
![taskbar](https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/7dcabcffca7f88fa8ac11af096554282b46e76df/hub/2024/06/14/61acb2c3-ad28-49a6-8e3d-ddbed0ed3366/taskbar.jpg?auto=webp&width=1200)
I hold my most incessantly used apps in my DeX taskbar.
Utilizing these functions in DeX mode was fairly much like utilizing them on my MacBook. Nonetheless, I did encounter just a few hiccups which are price noting if you happen to’re considering of attempting DeX. Or if you happen to’re a DeX professional — DeXpert? — perhaps you may reply a few of my questions.
Say goodbye to the Chrome bookmarks bar
![internetbookmarksbar](https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/707338ff8b95e9e4a83f0a10573649e939e1f6bd/hub/2024/06/14/80212f25-1437-44c3-a8fd-c19cf7fd48b8/internetbookmarksbar.jpg?auto=webp&width=1200)
You’ll be able to have a bookmarks bar within the Samsung Web app, however not in Google Chrome on DeX.
I am an avid bookmarks bar person, so it pains me to say you may’t have one in Chrome on DeX. However you may have one within the Samsung Web app, and for that motive alone, I’d swap browsers if I did not want to make use of Chrome to log into sure work accounts.
Copying hyperlinks additionally appears to be like completely different in Chrome on DeX. You’ll be able to’t click on on a hyperlink to focus on it within the handle bar after which go about copying and pasting it as you’d in Chrome on a laptop computer. In case you attempt to click on on a hyperlink in DeX mode, it disappears. As a substitute, it’s important to click on on the hyperlink, then click on on the little icon to the precise of it to repeat it to your clipboard.
Zoom and Slack look somewhat completely different, too
What my Zoom video seemed like earlier than versus after turning the cellphone.
Once I first tried Zoom on DeX, my video appeared in portrait orientation as an alternative of panorama, although the S24 Extremely sat horizontally on my desk. However I turned the cellphone vertically after which horizontally once more and my video lastly switched to panorama. So the orientation was somewhat wonky at first, but it surely was straightforward to repair. Nonetheless, my video wasn’t good, however that is due to my very own DeX setup. I had a Zoom name with CNET’s Abrar Al-Heeti and Sean Booker, and the S24 Extremely was perched too low on my desk, so I used to be by no means actually taking a look at them.
![abrarzoom](https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/46cf31b4945e4eab7770162b044dfdad35da4e5b/hub/2024/06/14/4e82524a-fad5-45bd-a9d0-a43605a9122e/abrarzoom.jpg?auto=webp&width=1200)
My Zoom name with CNET’s Abrar Al-Heeti and Sean Booker.
It is in all probability a good suggestion to get a stand (or perhaps a monitor mount) to boost the S24 Extremely so the digital camera is nearer to my eyeline as I take Zoom calls. Moreover, once I despatched a message within the chat, it took up the whole display screen, which was somewhat clunky. And I could not work out the best way to swap from speaker to gallery mode so I might see everybody (that’s, all two folks) on the decision directly.
Slack on DeX appears to be like loads prefer it does on my laptop computer, though it does not have the sidebar with all of my current messages the place I can simply ship a brand new one even when I am in one other dialog, which I did miss. And that is very particular, however I additionally missed with the ability to see who reacted to a message by hovering over the response. So far as I might inform, there is no option to see who’s reacted to a message in Slack on DeX.
Admittedly, these are all very minor notes. None of them created any main disturbances in my workflow, which is what’s vital. So I would say DeX labored effectively for operating the functions I take advantage of 90% of the time.
However that final 10% of the time I used two different functions — Adobe Premiere Professional and Photoshop. And whereas these aren’t obtainable on DeX, Adobe Premiere Rush and Photoshop Categorical are. So I attempted these. And — spoiler alert — I wasn’t as fortunate with these apps.
Premiere Rush and Photoshop Categorical on DeX have a lot potential
![premiererush](https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/66dd3ff670ef24d943d42c99ed88cfa82e3cbbfb/hub/2024/06/14/ac233174-448f-40e9-a303-17ca8fb4f961/premiererush.jpg?auto=webp&width=1200)
Adobe Premiere Rush on DeX.
I like to think about Premiere Rush as a extra accessible model of Premiere Professional. The interface is loads easier, you should use it on desktop and cell (Professional is just obtainable for desktop), and it is free (Professional begins at $23 a month for particular person customers).
I do love Premiere Professional for the gamut of instruments it gives. However more often than not, I am doing fairly easy video modifying anyway (i.e. trimming vlog clips like those within the video above), so I used to be hopeful that Rush on DeX might work for that. And at first, I used to be feeling good about it. I might simply make cuts in the course of a video and trim clips down. I might even color-correct my footage. However the app stored abruptly closing on me each 30 seconds or so, which is gloomy as a result of Rush on DeX appeared like it might’ve been in a position to deal with the video modifying I do for work.
I take advantage of Photoshop for easy picture edits, like putting images aspect by aspect, in addition to including borders and textual content to them. (Enjoyable reality: I edited a variety of the images you see on this article on Photoshop, together with those under.) So I used to be curious whether or not I might use Photoshop Categorical, a free cell photograph modifying app, for this sort of factor on DeX. However sadly, I am unable to. Whereas I might add textual content, I could not discover a option to put images aspect by aspect or customise the borders round them like I do in Photoshop. However although I am unable to use this app for precisely what I do for work, I did have a variety of enjoyable with what it might do. For instance, I used it to place the overlays on the photographs under. (I’d’ve had images like these throughout my Fb if I had this app in center faculty and am extremely contemplating importing one to my Instagram feed immediately).
I used Photoshop so as to add the road between the images and the textual content, however these neat shade overlays are all Photoshop Categorical.
I do not know if I must be saying this to Samsung or Adobe however one among you — or each of you — please make Photoshop and Premiere Professional obtainable on DeX. It will take these already spectacular merchandise to the following stage.
Can DeX substitute my laptop computer?
![s24ultravslaptop](https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/a2d0d93c63cefa6673de0163d66468db7100e1ec/hub/2024/06/14/33d717fd-34ac-4d81-b2e1-4d075010154d/s24ultravslaptop.jpg?auto=webp&width=1200)
The Galaxy S24 Extremely versus my MacBook Professional.
So let’s return to the massive query — can the S24 Extremely and, extra particularly, Samsung DeX, substitute my laptop computer? 90% of the time, sure. That being mentioned, 10% of the time once I’m doing photograph and video modifying, no. However I am so impressed that DeX can deal with the majority of my job. I’ll completely be bringing it into the workplace once I’m scripting and do not need to carry a heavy bag, or am assembly up with buddies after work and do not need to lug my laptop computer round San Francisco.
I do know {that a} day with DeX solely scratches the floor of issues. I am certain I am going to proceed to come across little hiccups and uncover extra issues I like about it. This entire experiment can be making me have an id disaster. Like I mentioned, I am an iPhone lady however I’m fairly impressed by what Samsung can do. Who is aware of, perhaps sooner or later I am going to swap over. By no means say by no means. It will undoubtedly make me really feel higher concerning the hefty quantity I’ve come to spend on smartphones.