Which phone has a better PC experience?

I was enjoying it Google’s new Pixel Desktop Mode on me Pixel 10 Pro XL so much lately that it almost makes the world of smartphones feel new again. However, Google is far from the first company to combine smartphone and desktop experiences under one roof. US consumers have access Samsung’s DeX has been implementing the environment since 2017, and it has been gradually improving the platform with various new features that set the bar high for welcoming Google’s new system.

If anything, it’s surprising that it took Google this long to come up with its formula. So how do they compare? I spent some time testing everyday desktop tasks on both platforms to answer the question: What are the differences between Pixel Desktop and Samsung DeX, and which is better?

Before we get into the specs, there is one major difference between these two desktop platforms. Pixel Desktop Mode runs the same Android operating system that powers the phone interface, just showing a second window environment on the external display. Apps run in the same OS instance, but Android’s native window manager allows them to appear in resizable windows on a larger screen.

Samsung DeX takes a different approach. Instead of relying on Android’s new default desktop-style windows, Samsung puts its own desktop interface on top of Android via One UI. Apps still run on the same Android OS instance, but Samsung replaces much of the system’s window management and UI behavior with its own desktop shell. This slightly different architecture leads to a few subtle differences in experience, which we’ll get to in a minute, but the end result is still a native Android desktop experience.

Fortunately, both desktop options are equally simple to get started. Both platforms support DisplayPort output via USB-C, and you can easily connect via HDMI via a dongle adapter. However, older Samsung models had several other connectivity options, such as DeX cable or Wireless DeX, which the Pixel lacks.

The phones I’ve used support Bluetooth and USB keyboards and mice, and support plug-and-play for hassle-free plug-and-play. Needless to say, I had no problem starting either, and both serve the same purpose at a glance.

Sticking with peripherals for a second, both desktop environments support the same Bluetooth peripherals as mobile mode, so you can keep your headphones paired while switching between modes. I also plugged in a microSD card, a USB stick, and a USB SSD external storage device, all of which were immediately detected without issue, allowing you to work very easily.

Likewise, when you boot into Samsung DeX or Pixel Desktop Mode, you’re greeted with a very familiar desktop look on both platforms. The two interfaces host a customizable dock of apps, complete with the app drawer and Android’s classic three navigation buttons. The only difference is that DeX places them on the left and Pixel on the right. The two platforms also support up to four separate desktop environments, so you can keep even the busiest multitasking setups organized.

Perhaps the most important factor is how the two desktop modes handle your standard Android app lineup, and again, the experience is very similar. Google has pushed developers to support a wider range of aspect ratios in recent years, from your standard phone portrait. can be folded wider and tablet user interfaces. Pixel Desktop Mode uses these options, automatically refreshing the UI to fit the most appropriate mode when you resize your window. DeX works in a very similar way, allowing you to resize windows to whatever size you want and adapt the UI whenever possible.

However, not every app has been updated to support the wider user interface options available in today’s Android ecosystem. In the old days, DeX used to deploy legacy programs to fixed windows, but I couldn’t find any programs that fit this mode; All the programs I tried are extensible and extensible. In fact, DeX handled some older apps better than the Pixel, which defaulted to full screen and didn’t respond to a few older apps that weren’t designed for widescreen support. It’s a minor difference in the grand scheme of things, though.

Overall, both DeX and Pixel desktop modes provide very similar basic functionality and run today’s modern Android apps in desktop mode as well as in phone mode.

Eagle-eyed readers will already notice a few key differences when we first look at the interfaces. DeX displays several desktop icons with the dock by default, and you can add apps to the desktop grid by simply clicking and dragging them out of the app drawer. In fact, DeX’s desktop is a completely customizable landscape, complete with the same widgets you can stick all over your phone’s home screen. Importantly, the changes made here do not affect your phone’s home screen. Meanwhile, the Pixel’s desktop is actually just a glorified wallpaper. Unlike DeX, you can’t place app icons or widgets directly on top of it.

Another significant change is the way the two handle quick settings and notifications. DeX adds these options along with the calendar and clock as the more familiar “system tray” or “notification area”. Clicking on any of these icons opens the corresponding settings, allowing quick access to check your schedule, change Bluetooth connections, or reply to an incoming message. It’s very PC-like. Google doesn’t have anything like that at the moment.

Instead, the Pixel opts for a top-down, phone-inspired approach to notifications and quick settings. While this is familiar in a sense, it contrasts with muscle memory because of how we expect desktop interfaces to work. The little clock or contact icons you have to click at the top of the screen to get started are too small. Even after you finally pull down the menu, it still takes up the entire screen, blocking your apps and limiting your multitasking. Compared to that nice little pop-up on the edge of your screen, it’s not great.

Not a pure study for DeX though. On me Samsung Galaxy S25 UltraDeX extended Chrome so aggressively that some pages became difficult to navigate. It’s essentially trapped in the mobile world and causes all sorts of formatting issues when viewing pages on a large screen. Requiring desktop versions of sites helped, but not enough to make it a native experience – best to stick with Samsung Web, which works flawlessly. In comparison, Google has made some effort to provide a more desktop-like Chrome experience, although it still lacks extensions.

So far, you can probably tell I’m more in favor of DeX than Pixel Desktop Mode, but for a few minor quality-of-life improvements rather than a major functionality difference.

For example, DeX does a better job of exposing additional but very important External Display settings. The Pixel has a dedicated screen timeout option for PC mode, which is annoyingly the same for phone and desktop modes. In addition, you can set PC-only wallpapers in DeX, while all customization settings are shared in Google’s app. My Galaxy S25 Ultra even has a nice little touchpad button on the bottom left of the phone’s screen that allows me to easily navigate the external display without a mouse attached. Here are the scores for DeX; the platform’s maturity and additional years of improvement make it a little nicer to use.

I can best summarize the difference because the Pixel’s build is more limited in one key way: its UI is still very much tied to the phone interface. The phone-like notification bar and the lack of persistent settings for each interface are minor annoyances, but they’re certainly enough to brighten up the experience for power users. Once you remove the cover, it’s clear that you’re still working hard on a Pixel phone, while DeX has a clearer distinction between a phone owner and a desktop interface where you want to spend time doing serious work. These are only small differences, but they add up.

Pixel Desktop Mode shows where Android is headed – a single OS that seamlessly transitions from phone to desktop. Plans to buy desktop computers with Google Aluminum OS eventually by the end of the year. But today, Samsung DeX still feels like a more complete desktop environment thanks to its added sophistication. The gap isn’t huge, though, and if Google keeps iterating at its current pace, Pixel Desktop Mode might not be far behind.