I don't count myself among those who hate the iPhone. I may not agree with Apple's prices and practices sometimes, but I can't say that I love or hate the company's iOS-powered smartphones. I'm somewhere in the middle. I could live with an iPhone as my daily driver without ever using an Android device again, but only as long as my job didn't involve the internet and typing on a physical keyboard.
Or in other words, the more I think about it, the more I realize that I couldn't live without a Samsung Galaxy phone because it's already deeply integrated with my day-to-day life. And for the most part, that's thanks to my Galaxy tablet, Samsung TV, and Samsung DeX.
But mostly, it's because I got used to using DeX after I switched to this platform a year ago. I've replaced my PC with DeX, and I don't see a good reason to turn back to a more power-hungry and less versatile or not-as-portable setup. DeX serves me fine, and it's become one of the main reasons I'd probably never want to use an iPhone instead of my Galaxy smartphone.
The iPhone is “just a phone” now
It may seem like I'm encouraging you to try an iPhone if you're not interested in Samsung DeX. And you could. It's not that bad of a device if you can put up with some quirks that make the platform feel a bit more walled in than One UI and Android OS.
However, for me, the freedom One UI and Samsung DeX give me is unmatched, and I just couldn't go back to using a phone only as a phone rather than a portable computer that I can always connect to a monitor or TV and mouse & keyboard to turn into a PC. And it's the same reason why I'm not interested in going back to using a Windows PC.
Quite refreshingly, we came across this fan-made Samsung DeX video demonstrating the sort of freedom DeX offers. The video does a great job at encapsulating the feel of the DeX experience — even though the setup showcased here involves a Galaxy tablet rather than a phone. But no matter which device you use, the freedom DeX gives me is liberating and truly feels next-gen, more so than an iPhone ever could. Unless, of course, Apple will try challenging Samsung DeX for phones at some point.
Dex gives you a simpler computer experience, or I can see how for some it can perform as a daily computer. #SamsungDex pic.twitter.com/EzvpQLZcV2
— Paul Stolyarov (@Paul_Stolyarov) March 8, 2023
Incidentally, users who believe in DeX create better pro bono ads than Samsung
This fan-made ad demos some of the reasons why, even though I can't say I hate iPhones, I will probably never have the heart to switch to the Apple side, no matter how other smartphone users may feel about less substantial differences between the Android and iOS platforms, such as the segregation of blue and green chat bubbles in iMessage on iPhones.
As a side note, it is unfortunate that a fan managed to make a better DeX ad than Samsung. Regardless of how much I appreciate the DeX experience, this fan-made video also underlines a problem with Samsung in that it's not doing the best job promoting this unique and versatile mobile tool. I wish that'd change. And I wish Samsung could lower its ridiculous tablet keyboard cover prices, but I digress.
If you are tempted to try Samsung DeX on your Galaxy device, you can do so without spending any extra cash on accessories. You can connect your phone to a monitor or TV wirelessly and use DeX, and although it's not an ideal experience, there is a way to minimize input lag for wireless DeX. Ideally, you may want to use DeX over a wired connection through an HDMI-USB hub or use it on-device (without an external monitor) if you have a Samsung tablet supporting DeX.
If you've used DeX before and didn't like the experience, you may want to try the platform again. One UI 5.0 and One UI 5.1 brought a handful of UI and functionality changes to DeX, and the desktop environment is now better than ever.
