Black Mirror suggests a future where we’ll never be free from computers, because they’ll be inside our heads. Today’s headset manufacturers salivate at that thought, but (for now) at least let you peel off the digital layer when you’ve had enough of their gadgets being glued to your face. Me? I’d settle for something less dystopian: a smartphone as the ‘one device to rule them all’. The dream’s long felt elusive – until now, because Android 16’s desktop mode might finally usher in the future I’ve long wanted.
For years, the whole phone-as-desktop idea was largely the preserve of Samsung’s DeX, a feature that sounds more like a washed-up console mascot than revolutionary tech. That’s about to change, because Samsung and Google have been in cahoots, welding DeX to vanilla Android. The result now has a far less silly – and far more descriptive – name: connected displays support.
I love it (the feature, that is, not the name), and I’ll never look at my iPhone in quite the same way again. Mostly because I’m now looking at it with disappointment over this one really big thing it can’t do.
Windows of opportunity
Setting up the Android 16 desktop mode was surprisingly painless. I’d half expected a womp womp noise and a smallish number of fires and explosions as I cobbled together a mess of tech so visually offensive it made my iMac recoil in horror. Instead, everything just worked.
I installed the latest Android beta on my Pixel 9a, unlocked the developer options, turned on ‘Enable desktop experience features’ and rebooted. Then I dug out a USB-C hub, jammed it into the Pixel, and connected a Raspberry Pi mouse, a portable display, and a Bluetooth Logitech keyboard.
The screen lit up rather than blew up. Result! The windowing was stable, simple and responsive. I spent a happy hour resizing apps, setting up multiple desktops, and even getting some work done. All powered by nothing more than my mid-range Android blower.
To which I’m sure sceptics are now waving their ‘WHY BOTHER, YOU MASSIVE IDIOT?’ hats. After all, Android rolls out glacially, so who knows when most people will see this? And who would want to plug a load of junk into a phone rather than just use a laptop anyway? To which I say: pfft!
Glass half full
OK, I should say more or my editor will shout at me. So, yes, Android rollouts are slow, but desktop mode will now be part of Android’s core, not limited to one manufacturer’s gear. Laptops are great, but plenty of folks will appreciate the ‘use your phone as a PC’ approach, simply plugging a smartphone into a telly when they need a bigger screen. And that’s arguably greener too, because you may end up buying fewer gadgets, instead more often plumping for cheaper (and long-lasting) peripherals.
But even if you disagree, remember this: Android devs will now be strongly encouraged to make apps that support all sizes, shapes and setups of windows – which means they’ll support all sizes, shapes and setups of device. Folding phones. Tablets. Keyboards. Mice. That’s a win.
It may even push Apple to rethink. The company’s currently busy congratulating itself for finally fixing iPad multitasking, but I don’t expect iPhone to ‘do a DeX’ – Apple wants you buying more Apple gear, not one device. But if Android 16’s desktop ambitions catch on, Apple could follow suit. So don’t be surprised if during the iOS 30 keynote, Apple claims it invented the whole thing.
We’re not there yet, though – even on Android, where the beta remains a bit rough. But as a hint of what’s to come, it’s exciting. And in the meantime, this feature might just find me using my Android phone a little more and my iPhone a little less.