Samsung DeX docking station: turn your Galaxy S8 into a full-fledged PC

Samsung DeX docking station allows you to turn your Galaxy S8 or S8 + into a practically full-fledged PC. It remains to add only a keyboard and mouse with Bluetooth or USB interfaces. This device is definitely worth a separate review.


Externally DeX looks like a small cylinder of black color. It weighs only 230 g and easily fits, for example, in a backpack and can be taken on a trip. There is a built-in fan for cooling the Galaxy S8.

Separately, Samsung DeX will cost about $ 150, so far the manufacturer and its partners have not announced the official cost of the device. Sales of the accessory in Russia are expected from April 21, pre-order is still not possible.

Samsung Galaxy S8 itself is connected via USB Type-C, it can be charged during operation (the docking station is powered by the standard charging from the smartphone). Adaptive Fast Charging Adaptive Fast Charging (AFC) is supported.

Samsung DeX Interfaces


•             USB Type-C In - for connecting a smartphone
•             USB Type-C Out - for power connection
•             2 x USB 2.0 - for mouse, keyboard, and other supported devices, for example, flash drives
•             HDMI Out - for connecting a monitor and a TV
•             Ethernet 1 Gbit - for connection to a wired network

System interface


Samsung Galaxy S8 firmware includes a deeply customized shell, which is activated only when connected to DeX and simulates the desktop quite well - there is a window interface.

 Adapted version of YouTube, launched on Samsung DeX


Some of the "essentials" applications are also adapted to run in PC mode:

•             Microsoft Word
•             Microsoft Excel
•             Microsoft PowerPoint
•             OneNote
•             Microsoft OneDrive
•             Skype
•             Adobe Acrobat Reader
•             Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
•             Adobe Photoshop Express
•             Adobe Photoshop Mix
•             Behance
•             Hancom Office
•             Amazon WorkSpaces
•             Citrix Receiver
•             Vmware Horizon Client
•             YouTube
•             Gmail
•             Google Drive
•             Chrome Browser - Google
•             Google
•             Google Play Movies & TV
•             Google Play Music
•             Google Photos
•             Play Store
•             AutoCAD Mobile
•             LINE
•             Naver
•             KakaoTalk
•             Lineage 2 Revolution
•             The Tribez

Some of them are paid. Owners of a special version of the Galaxy S8 Microsoft Edition is also available adapted version of Outlook. The rest of the applications run with Samsung DeX as standard programs for Android.

  Browser on Samsung DeX


In general, the Galaxy S8 is not the first smartphone of a Korean company that has the ability to "turn" into a PC using a docking station. This was also present in Galaxy Note 2 and later "Nout", but the shell was little different from the standard TouchWiz.

 MS Office package running on Samsung DeX


The way of evolution of the Android interface is interesting in the case of launch in PC mode. If Microsoft makes the desktop version of Windows more and more similar to the mobile one, then Samsung went in the opposite direction and implemented support for windowing as the main mode when working with DeX.

Adobe Lightroom Mobile


The interface of the system in PC mode for Galaxy S8 resembles "light" graphical shells for Linux like XFCE: icons on the desktop, a compact notification bar at the bottom right and the Start menu on the left.


Samsung has added some features to the system for working with DeX, which is absent by default in Android:

  1. Full multitasking with the ability to open a potentially unlimited number of windows (all depends on the performance of the system).
  2. "Hotkeys" for greater ease of management.
  3. Drag and drop most Drag & Drop items.
  4. Context menu when you right-click a mouse.


What do we think about this?


First, the Samsung Dex is really a very interesting accessory. The power of such a "PC" is enough with a lot to solve a lot of problems: in the "synthetic" Exynos 8895 and Snapdragon 835 are inferior to their desktop "brethren".

Secondly, however, he is unlikely to be particularly popular, although his fans will definitely have Dex. It is worth remembering the fate of a similar chip Microsoft Continuum, which has existed for more than a year, but it has not become any mass.


The very approach to creating a "hybrid system" for Samsung is very interesting and, in our opinion, much more promising than what we see in the case of Windows. However, there are doubts that Koreans will seriously develop their concept.

Source: Samsung

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