With the arrival of OneUI 7, Samsung is scrapping support for Dex for Windows. This is apparently a much bigger take-away than Samsung realizes.
What I don't think Samsung truly appreciates is that many of us use Dex for Windows to encapsulate a home computing environment and use it at work, rather than using Dex as a work or productivity tool.
That is, I use Dex for Windows to answer personal emails, access apps and websites for personal use, and otherwise maintain a presence in my personal life while I'm at work. Dex for Windows is better than the phone screen for that purpose for the same reasons Dex is better than the phone's screen for work-related activities.
Other folks use Dex for Windows because it allows them to work in different offices and on customer sites while maintaining their familiar desktop workspace and keeping their work-related files safely on their own devices. Samsung has made a phone with the power of a laptop, so people are using it like one.
So, to my question: What is the recommended setup to replicate Dex for Windows as closely as possible?
So far, what I've come up with is a docking station for the phone with either a KVM switch, or a USB video capture card and a Windows camera viewer program, and a separate (e.g. Bluetooth) mouse and keyboard. I have tested the latter setup, and had some issues with the video quality, but the good news is that the docking station I selected (Plugable USBC-7IN1E) is up to the task, the video looks fine when connected directly to a monitor, and the phone recognizes a wireless mouse/KB transmitter correctly.
I use Dex for Windows all the time with the exception of a few Windows only applications. Now I have tried most of the alternatives to Dex but the satisfaction level is way below. The only reason I have been buying expensive Samsung phones is Dex. I now might as well say goodbye to Samsung.
I see that reaction a lot more often than I thought I would. As I said, I don't think Samsung realizes how valuable that feature is, or to how many of their users.
I've experimented with the two solutions I documented previously and each works well. I like my S24U for a lot more than just DeX, (e.g. app smoothness, camera performance, interoperability with other devices), and I also reckon I can use it when I go on vacation, and leave my laptop home. So, Samsung won't lose me, just a bit of my respect for their business decisions.
