Over the past weeks, I conducted an in-depth test of Samsung DeX. Initially, I thought of it as a mobile screen trying to mimic a large display. But as I used it more, I stopped viewing it that way — I began to understand its full capabilities.
Throughout my time using Apple products like the iPhone, iPad, MacBook Pro, and AirPods Pro, I always kept my Galaxy phone with me. It wasn’t that the Galaxy was better than the iPhone — it just had features that set it apart. DeX was one of those features. It promised a desktop experience from a mobile device. I had heard about it for a while but never fully tested it.
Cable, keyboard, mouse — and suddenly it was a PC
The setup process was straightforward. I connected my Galaxy phone to a monitor using a DP-to-Type-C cable. I paired a Logitech mouse and a mechanical keyboard to my phone. Suddenly, my phone didn’t feel like a mobile device anymore — it felt like a computer.
When I launched DeX, the interface looked like a desktop environment. It was clear that the phone could serve as a mini-computer, but the true power lay in the applications I used. The phone itself wasn’t the main difference — it was how the apps adapted to the DeX interface.
Bitwarden made the difference in two clicks
I log in to Bitwarden every morning because it stores all my 10-14 character passwords. Previously, it took a tedious process to copy a password — I had to switch windows, open Bitwarden, copy the password, and then return to the website. With DeX, Bitwarden ran in the background, and copying passwords became as simple as two clicks. I no longer had to juggle between multiple windows or search for tabs.
A few years ago, I made the switch from Bitwarden to Vaultwarden. The transition involved moving all my passwords to a self-hosted server. Vaultwarden is a community-driven version of Bitwarden but with the same client interface and functionality. On DeX, the experience felt exactly like a desktop password manager setup. I was essentially using the same password manager I had been using across all my devices, now hosted on my own infrastructure.
Lightroom and Jellyfin felt just like on a PC
Since my job involves working with images and screenshots daily, I tested Adobe Lightroom on DeX. At first, I expected it to feel clunky or limited. But the screen size didn’t impact the app’s performance — in fact, the experience felt much better than using it on a small phone screen. I used a high-DPI Bluetooth mouse to adjust the exposure and shadow sliders, and it worked just like on my MacBook. Lightroom didn’t seem to know it was running from a mobile device — it just worked.
Jellyfin, a home media server I’ve been using for years, was another essential part of my DeX setup. I already had the app on my Galaxy phone, but when I used it on DeX, it felt like it had always been a part of my desktop. The app didn’t show any limitations from being on a mobile phone. It seamlessly integrated into my workflow.
I often run Jellyfin in the background while I work. Instead of opening Netflix or YouTube, I access my own media library hosted in my homelab. DeX made me feel like I was using all my systems together. It wasn’t just the phone — it was the right combination of apps that made the experience work. Samsung DeX became a real desktop environment once I stopped forcing it into mobile habits.