How does the Samsung DeX hub work, and why can’t it be universalized to non-Samsung devices?

2.84K views

I would imagine that other companies would be trying out a similar thing, but they’re not. Is there a technical reason why not?

In: Technology

2 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

It’s just an HDMI adapter. There’s nothing preventing other phone/tablet manufacturers from changing the interface when there’s a display plugged in.

Anonymous 0 Comments

there’s nothing special about the hub, dex is software built into the phone. and it’s not unique. google is building desktop mode into AOSP so it’ll work on every phone that meets the minimum requirements

however, the value is questionable. if you’re docking to a screen+keyboard+mouse+whatever it’s not portable so you might as well build a desktop that can do the same thing much cheaper. and [laptop-shaped docks](https://i.amz.mshcdn.com/NS0h9xq2J-McTOyELlHTA3idlXs=/fit-in/1200×9600/https%3A%2F%2Fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fcard%2Fimage%2F689651%2Febce1785-1bf9-45a5-b248-11c7b4bf345e.jpg) are not only rare, but device-specific so you’d have to buy a new one for every phone (unless they make one with adjustable straps or something)

and then there’s the software. would you rather have a PC that can run any OS you want including windows, thousands of linux distros, android, BSD, etc… or one that’s limited to android with a desktopified UI and maybe a handful of linux distros (if google follows samsung’s example of linuxondex). and don’t forget updates. the vast majority of mobile devices are abandoned in <3 years while desktops can get >10