Samsung DeX Pad Desktop Experience for Samsung Galaxy Note8 , GS8, GS8+, GS9, and GS9+ W/ Fast Charge USB-C Wall Charger (US Version with Warranty)

Really like this DeX Station. The DeX experience isn't exactly like a real computer, but it does make some things easier, such as emails, documents in my office suite, having multiple apps open. Having my text app open off to one side while surfing the web or composing a document makes doing the two things at the same time so much easier. And being able to use a keyboard to input text makes emails and documents so much easier to me (including writing this review)I saw several reviews complaining that they can't use the Amazon Video while in DeX mode. That's true, and you are unable to use Amazon Music while using DeX also (therefore Apple Itunes becomes my default music player when in DeX mode). However, Just toggle over to Screen Mirroring and Amazon Video works just fine. Plus, it automatically goes to full screen landscape when you start a movie or show. You can toggle between the two through the pull-down menu/notification panel. The mouse even still works while Screen Mirroring, so you don't HAVE to use the phones screen to do anything.The few things that I wish that they had done differently is 1) make the usb connection longer so that you can use it without having to take your case off or buy a usb extender. 2) the phone being solely supported on the bottom end by the usb connector seems like weak point to me. I fully expect this to be the area where it breaks first.So, things could be better. More apps could support the full screen available while in DeX mode. More apps could take advantage of mouse input and control (it would make Amazon Shopping so much easier if they would support both of those). As it is, sometimes it's best to have the phone available as a trackpad for those apps that aren't mouse friendly.

My primary reason for buying this was, curiosity. It's a great feature to have. I haven't been able to use if effectively as I have multiple laptop and desktops. My wife is giving it a go.Honestly, with screen mirroring/sharing/casting our smart tvs are now able to handle everything. With touchscreen enabled tablets and convertible laptops I am not sure who would use this effectively. maybe those who don't want to buy a laptop/tablet... I've used it on 34" Ultra-Wide LCD, works perfectly.Anyways just one thing that seems to be incorrect in previous comments is I have a wallet GS8+ case and I can plug my phone into the DeX Pad with ease. The connector on the DeX is flexible, it can accommodate different height cases. I think Samsung does not want thick cases if you're going to use it for long duration per overheating concerns. It does have an integrated fan.It paired nicely with my Logitech nano receiver with absolutely no issues at all. Connected to the display and Wifi with ease. Had to change a few settings on my phone, but it walks you through them...The charging cable is standard length usb-c. same length as the one that comes with the phone. Charger needs to be connected for it to work...

I've been using the Dex Pad 2 weeks with my Samsung Galaxy S8+. First of all, it is VERY IMPORTANT to activate "Dex Labs". Why? Without activating it most apps will not allow resizing and are stuck in the "phone proportions" only. So, what would be the point of Dex then, right? However -- and hats off to Samsung for doing this -- Dex Labs does something with the "non-Dex" apps to convince them to go into tablet mode. Additionally, it coaxes the apps to work in resized windows. This is HUGE for the Dex desktop experience. When ordering this, it was one thing I worried about: would I get stuck with "phone only" mode with non-Dex apps? The answer is definitely NOT (for the most part).There are some exceptions:Firefox refuses to launch in any way, shape or form in Dex. Not good.Google Earth refuses to launch in any way, shape or form in Dex. Not good.YouTube will launch, but is buggy and refuses to play any video when you click on them. Weird. However, you CAN launch it in a browser.Netflix won't play in anything, except a dinky, non-sizable window.Which brings me to my next point: if you have apps that will not launch well in their stand-alone form (and they are very few), if they have a browser equivalent, use that. It seems those "web browser apps" work better using Samsung's own Internet browser, rather than Chrome.Here's another cool thing: I can do all my WordPress editing and designing using the web browser, just like I normally do on a regular desktop. I find that using the Chrome web browser works better in this case. I use the Elementor Pro Wordpress page builder and it runs faultlessly on Dex, in the Chrome browser.Everything else works really well and even faster than if I were to run similar apps in Windows. For instance, Evernote using the Windows application on Windows 10 is (and has been for years) sheer agony. Incredibly slow and buggy. Evernote refuses to fix that. However, the Evernote App on Android is excellent. It's even optimized for Dex. However, although the Evernote app can work in a resized window, it appears it is the phone app, not the tablet app.OK, that's "how" it works. Now on to what I can do with Dex.I no longer lug a laptop around. All I need is Dex and a keyboard. The phone doubles as a touchpad with Dex Pad. Works fairly well, though I prefer to use my little Microsoft bluetooth mouse, along with a Omotion Android bluetooth keyboard. When I'm home, I have a 24" monitor set up and Dex can be hooked up and ready to go in less than a minute. On my lunch break at work, I use my work computer monitor with HDMI and things are up and running right away.What's really cool is everything is seamless between my "phone" experience and my "desktop" experience.I did try to use the Wine application to try out running Windows applications on Android. However, the latest version of Wine (3.0) is NOT compatible with Android Oreo 8.0.0 which is on my phone. For the most part, that's OK, but i would love to be able to uses Audacity for my audio editing. I'm suprised Audacity has no Android version, even though they do have a Linux version. It is recommended to run Audacity on Wine in Android. Unfortunately, i can't do that.Every once in a while I'll get a "memory low" error. Usually it's triggered by having too many apps open, as well as too many browser tabs. It's easily remedied by closing unneeded apps. This happens in maybe 10% of my experience with Dex.The video quality is just "OK". It is not as sharp as running a Windows machine connected to the same monitor. And that's the only reason I am knocking off 1 star. That said, however, fonts are bigger on Dex than they are in Windows, which makes it easier to read for this 58 year old's eyes.Overall, I am super pleased with Dex. I highly recommend this product. Samsung has work very hard to bring extraordinary tech to the latest Galaxy S phones and their technology add-ons like Dex really multiply the pleasure and benefits from your Samsung device. I'm surprised that Dex isn't more popular than it is. I thought I would write a review that addresses the "what's it like" and "how well does it work" questions I had before seeing firsthand the Dex in action. It seems there are very few reviews that fully answer the question, "So how does Dex work with non-Dex apps?"Just remember: Dex works great IF you activate Dex Labs!