The S8/S8+ is finally out and there have been many great reviews on Samsung’s flagship phone. Alongside the release of these devices, also came a few accessories, most notably, the Samsung DeX.

Whats meant to be as an alternative to your computer, its a dock that not only charges your phone, but it acts as a computer, with fully integrated apps, such as Office Suite and Adobe. The concept sounds great: a perfect way to utilize the most of your phone in desktop format. No longer will you have to write that long email with your thumbs! But how practical is the Samsung DeX?

UI

At first glance, it reminds me of Chrome OS. As soon as I connected my phone onto the dock, I looked at the task bar and felt familiar with a UI that I had yet to play around with. It is a mix of Windows and Chrome OS, so for those within the Android ecosystem will have no trouble guiding through it. All settings are virtually similar to the S8. As I was opening various apps I owned, I almost forgot that I was controlling a phone and not a computer.

Design

The Samsung DeX has 2 USB 2.0 Ports, an Ethernet Port and a USB Type C charging port. Aside from the ports, the Samsung DeX has a cooling fan to ease concerns about your mobile overheating while it functions as a desktop. After about 20min, I touched my phone to see if there was any signs of overheating, and to my shock, there was none. When the S8 is docked, it is receiving charge, so its a perfect way to get a quick charge in while you’re working away.

Whats Great

Apps are quick, and offer very little lag. Everything works seamlessly, and offers very little hassle. Anyone with common knowledge on how to navigate a computer will find the UI very intuitive and easy to use.

You have an option to change the orientation of the app (portrait or landscape) to get a better view, whether you want to text someone or jot down a quick note. You can receive phone calls and they will be answered on speaker.

The Opportunity Lies…

If you ever had AirDroid (or any remote connection from your phone to your computer) then you know that you can set that up and still keep $150 in your bank account. Its a cool idea, but the market is still hard to pinpoint. If its meant to be sold for businessman who can connect this to any hotel TV, then what about the regular consumer? You would need to have an extra monitor/keyboard/mouse lying around. And if you didn’t thats an extra chunk of change that you weren’t prepared to let go of.

On paper, Samsung DeX sounds great. But its not practical. Not for those who are looking for a cheaper alternative to getting a full Desktop experience.

I’ll have a full depth review later on this week.