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You might actually want to use the new DeX on the Galaxy Note 10

You might actually want to use the new DeX on the Galaxy Note 10

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New compatibility with Windows and Mac puts your phone’s screen on your laptop’s display

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Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Among the many new updates and features coming with the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus is a revamped take on DeX, Samsung’s desktop-like software that is powered by the phone. While prior versions of DeX required you to plug the phone into a monitor and use a mouse and keyboard paired to it, the new version lets you plug a Note 10 into a Windows or Mac computer and brings up a window with all of your phone’s apps that is accessible from your desktop or laptop computer.

Not only can you remotely control your phone and use the apps installed on it without ever taking your hands off of your computer’s keyboard, but you can also drag and drop files from your desktop to your phone and vice versa.

If you’re a fan of the way DeX works with just a monitor, fret not, as the Note 10 should still support the traditional DeX interface when used with just a display, mouse, and keyboard. To make that work, you just need a USB-C to HDMI cable, and you’re good to go.

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Additionally, Samsung has partnered with Microsoft to preload the Your Phone app on the device, which lets you send SMS messages and wirelessly transfer image files between a paired phone and Windows PC. It also put a toggle for connecting and disconnecting Your Phone in the phone’s quick actions tray.

DeX has become Samsung’s answer for the convergence of various devices, as it allows you to have a desktop-like interface with just a phone or tablet, blending what you get on an iPad with what a Windows 10 tablet offers. But earlier takes were more interesting in theory than in practice, as it’s typically easier to just use a laptop than it is to find a display, mouse, and keyboard to hook up to your phone.

You can access DeX with most recent Samsung devices, including the just-announced Galaxy Tab S6, which has a special DeX display mode when a keyboard is attached. Frustratingly, the Galaxy S10 will not support the new DeX features with Windows and Mac computers, despite having the same basic set of hardware specifications as the Note 10.

We’ll have to see how well this new spin on DeX performs once we get a chance to test and review the Note 10 line. But it’s easy to say it’s one of the most interesting things Samsung has announced today.