We've been dreaming about turning phones into PCs for years. It makes sense: We're carrying around little computers in our pockets, so why not use them when we need to do actual computing? Samsung's $149 DeX dock transforms your Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+ phone into a desktop computer when you attach a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. It gets closer than other solutions we've seen to nailing the experience, but it still falls into the uncanny valley of not being quite as capable as a real PC. How It Works DeX ($96.49 at Amazon) only works with the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. The key hardware is the DeX Station itself, which looks like a black ashtray. You slide back the top to reveal a USB-C port that you plonk your phone onto. On the back, there are two USB-A ports for keyboards, mice, and storage, as well as an Ethernet port, a power jack, and an HDMI port for monitor output at 1080p. The DeX experience requires a monitor; without a monitor plugged in, the dock doesn't kick int...
Samsung's DeX dock turns your Galaxy S8 or S8+ into a multi-window desktop PC, but doesn't make a case for why you should use it instead of an inexpensive computer.
Good desktop experience; Multiple windows; Ethernet port
No good reason to buy this; a mouse; and a keyboard over a real PC