Google has been, for quite some time, trying to emulate Samsung’s DeX success. Well, there’s finally some development on that initiative with the latest beta build of Android 16. Google is actively working on a new Android desktop mode, very similar to DeX.

Whatever limited information has been made publicly available shows a very similar interface to Samsung DeX. There’s an Android taskbar at the bottom with all recent and pinned apps, which also houses the app drawer.

Just like Samsung, you’ll get various floating windows that can be used for multitasking. The beta mode shows that you can freely move and resize windows and drag-and-drop content from one app to another, just as you can do on a Windows laptop.

Remember, Google had introduced desktop windowing for its Android tablets with the Android 15 release. This allowed users to run multiple apps simultaneously and resize windows on their tablets.

However, this worked only on built-in displays. It looks like Google is trying to build on this basic version of windowing to develop a full-fledged desktop UI for Android.

The exact launch of the feature cannot be confirmed as of now. However, experts expect it to go live with the Android 17 release next year. The 2025 Android 16 might be too soon for a full feature release.

How Can It Affect OEMs and Competition?

A positive impact would be that it would make PC experiences more affordable for remote workers, college students, and those on a budget. Currently, only high-end devices from Samsung and Motorola can offer the full desktop user interface experience.

Sure, you can get the Samsung Galaxy S8, S9, or S10 for DeX features for around $150-$200. However, all these devices are limited to just 4GB of RAM, which limits desktop performance.

You won’t be able to multitask with fluidity and may experience glitchy interfaces. For the best DeX experience, you need something like a Samsung Galaxy S23 FE costing around $230-$260 or the S21 Ultra costing $250+.

Now, with the introduction of Android’s native desktop solution, the cost of a DeX-like experience will come down. Budget smartphones offering 8GB of RAM for under $150 may achieve comparable DeX performance to high-end Samsung phones.

This will also bring a need for differentiation between OEMs. Till now, they could develop different desktop experiences and market them as their USP, which is something Motorola has done.

However, now that we’re on the verge of a unified Android desktop experience, these differentiations might die down, seeing as OEMs might ditch costly custom UIs.

It’s true that Google is miles behind Samsung when it comes to desktop experiences. However, every technology has a saturation point beyond which new innovations are slow.

Ask yourself, what more can Samsung introduce in their DeX features? It’s already a near-complete product. Even if they do introduce something new, the developments will be slow.

Google, on the other hand, has a lot to do, which can be achieved at a faster pace compared to Samsung. The technology gap we see now can be closed down quickly in the next 3 to 4 years, beyond which the two providers may be more or less at par.

Can Mobile Desktop Experiences Replace Laptops?

While we are at it, let’s briefly discuss whether the mobile desktop experience can replace laptops. In a nutshell, we don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon. Mobiles and laptops are meant for two distinct uses, even though there are several overlaps.

Sure, you might be able to do 70% of the work that you do on a laptop by hooking up your mobile with an external screen. For example, you can browse the internet, write an article, send an email, attend a video conference, and so on.

However, several uses that require massive computing power may not be handled well by such setups. At least not now. For instance, you cannot edit a professional video or develop new software on DeX.

Additionally, there are a lot of software limitations as well. Not every app right now is optimized for the DEX experience. It would require a lot of time and investment to achieve this level of optimization.

Next, there’s the issue of form factor. A laptop is a compact, complete product that you can use anywhere on the go. Now, imagine if you only have a desktop UI-enabled phone. You still need a dedicated display, keyboard, and mouse to set up the whole thing, which isn’t half as convenient as using a laptop.

Then there’s the cost angle. While a laptop is an all-in-one device, going the desktop-phone route means buying a monitor, keyboard, and mouse separately, which can easily add up.

What starts as a budget-friendly idea quickly becomes a piecemeal setup that could cost more than a mid-range laptop, without delivering the same seamless experience.

All in all, mobile-enabled desktop experiences have a long way to go before they can come close to replacing laptops.