When the Galaxy S8 was unveiled earlier this year, Samsung announced a clever accessory that lets you turn the smartphone into an Android desktop. All you need is the DeX Station to make it happen — and a computer monitor, keyboard, and mouse, of course.
The DeX dock is hardly the perfect solution, but Samsung isn’t giving up, and it’ll introduce a different DeX accessory for the Galaxy S9 come next year, according to a new rumor.
Samsung’s new device will be called the DeX Pad, GalaxyClub has learned, and as the name indicates, we’ll be looking at a different kind of dock for Samsung’s flagship handset.
With the help of the DeX Pad, you’ll be able to place your Galaxy S9 or Galaxy S9+ flat on the desk and use the display as a mouse pad or a keyboard. That means you no longer have to carry around keyboards and mice.
That said, it’s unclear how the Galaxy S9 will connect to the DeX Pad. A wired connection via USB-C is probably what Samsung will go with, considering that there’s a lot of data to be moved between the phone and the display. Not to mention the fact that it’d be great if the dock would power the Galaxy S9 while the phone is used.
The report says the DeX Pad will launch simultaneously with the Galaxy S9, although it’s unclear when that will happen. Opinions regarding Samsung’s Galaxy S9 launch event are divided. Some say the phone will be unveiled at CES in January, while others claim the phone is on track for its standard MWC launch in February.
As for backward compatibility, it’s unclear at this time whether the DeX Pad is compatible with this year’s flagships, including the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy Note 8. We’ll just have to wait and see.
