If you’ve been following the Android news lately, Google has begun full-throttle development of Aluminium OS, the platform that’s expected to eventually replace ChromeOS and power upcoming Android PCs.
While that future is still some distance away, it made me excited about how far Google has already come with Android’s desktop mode.
For years, Google has offered a desktop mode on Android, but with later versions of Android 16, the company finally opened up the ability to turn your phone into a PC by simply connecting it to an external display and pairing a keyboard and mouse.
Having never tried Samsung DeX before, I didn’t know what to expect. But after using it for a few days, though, I can see why it could eventually replace my Mac, or at least serve as a solid alternative for light computing on the go.
Here’s what it’s like using Android’s desktop mode today, and how you can recreate a similar setup using just your phone.
