Use a Windows Phone Continuum Dock for DeX on Samsung Galaxy S10

[The AchieVer]

Use a Windows Phone Continuum Dock for DeX on Samsung Galaxy S10 

One of the greatest features of Windows 10 Mobile devices was Continuum, which technically made it possible for a smartphone to become a fully-featured PC when connected to a larger screen.

Continuum debuted on the Lumia 950 XL, Microsoft’s latest Windows 10 Mobile flagship announced in October 2015, and it required a small dock or adapter that was responsible for the whole magic.

Basically, with such a device arsenal, Windows 10 Mobile turned into a more capable operating system that allowed you to work with a mouse and keyboard just like you used to do on a PC. This is one of the reasons Microsoft originally pushed so hard for UWP apps, hoping that apps built for PCs would eventually run on mobile phones too.

Like Windows phones, Continuum missed its chance to impress, and Microsoft didn’t even deliver the improvements that it once promised to ship.

In the meantime, other companies, including Samsung, decided to build their very own alternatives to Continuum, and DeX is pretty much the most famous at this point.

Just like Continuum, DeX is powered by a special adapter that allows a Samsung phone to double as a PC when connected to a larger screen, and thanks to running Android, this implementation is a lot more useful than on Windows phones.

The recently-released Samsung Galaxy S10 also supports DeX, and what’s more, it looks like Samsung still allows us to use third-party adapters as well, including those that were originally developed for Continuum.
 

 

 

What I used here is the HP Elite x3 Desk Dock, which is HP’s very own dock that was supposed to recharge the HP Elite x3 Windows 10 Mobile device and power Continuum.

Using DeX with this piece of hardware is a pretty straightforward process, though I must remind you that a DisplayPort cable is required. The dock comes with two USB ports for your mouse and keyboard, and it can also fast-charge your Samsung Galaxy S10 when using it.

DeX on the Galaxy S10 with HP’s dock works exactly as you’d expect it, and thanks to the latest-generation hardware available on the smartphone, everything is fast and very responsive.

When browsing the web, however, you may want to configure the browser to request desktop versions of websites by default because otherwise, mobile content might not look too good on a larger screen.

To be completely honest, I like DeX much more than Continuum, and everything on the screen is placed exactly where it should be. Continuum was designed from the very beginning to look and feel like Windows, but on the other hand, the original version lacked just too many features, including the essentials like window mode.
 

 

 

In Samsung’s DeX, everything works just smoothly, and with HP’s dock, the Galaxy S10 can even double as a touchpad if you don’t have a mouse around. However, for a more PC-like experience, I recommend you to use a mouse and a keyboard.

During my time with DeX on the Galaxy S10, I didn’t really feel the need for more power, though the fact that I had to stick with Android apps more or less limited my options when it comes to productivity. The good thing is that I use mostly Microsoft software which is available on Android as well, like the Office productivity suite and Outlook, so pretty much everything I need is already there.

Obviously, given that HP’s desk dock costs $149 brand new, this isn’t really the most affordable way to get DeX up and running without an official adapter, though I’m pretty sure you can find used ones a lot cheaper on eBay.

But on the other hand, if you’re one of those people who were super-committed to Windows Phone and now have such an adaptor around, it makes no sense to buy Samsung’s very own when everything is working just smoothly.

 

 

 

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