Samsung’s new Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ might not be the fastest-selling smartphones Samsung has ever released, but there’s no question that they’re the best smartphones Samsung has ever released. From the refined, albeit iterative design to the impressive power and performance, these phones are outstanding. Toss in one of the best rear cameras we’ve ever tested and you have a recipe for greatness. So why aren’t they selling as well as previous-generation models? As impressive as the Galaxy S9 and S9+ are, they’re still not perceived as a huge update over last year’s Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, so people aren’t upgrading as quickly as they have in the past.
Whether you have a brand new Galaxy S9 or S9+, or one of last year’s flagship phones, Samsung has some great news for you on Monday. The hot new accessory we’ve all been waiting for finally has a price and a release date.
One of the most underappreciated features of last year’s Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, and Galaxy Note 8 was the DeX Station dock. Currently available at a deep discount, the DeX Station instantly transformed any of Samsung’s 2017 flagship phones into an Android powered desktop, allowing it to be connected to a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. And the most surprising part was that it provided a user experience that was actually quite good, which is something that isn’t common for Android on the big screen.
For 2018, Samsung is improving the DeX experience in several important ways, and the improvements will arrive via the company’s brand new DeX Pad accessory.
Samsung announced on Monday that the new DeX Pad will be released next month on May 13th, and it will sell for $99.99. Though the new DeX Pad is better in a number of key ways than the DeX Station it replaces, it’ll cost $50 less than the DeX Station did at launch. Samsung also announced a limited-time offer that will definitely appeal to some customers: Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ purchases made on Samsung’s website will include a DeX Pad for free.
“The Samsung DeX Pad bridges the gap between smartphone and desktop. With its desktop interface, and easy connection to a mouse, monitor, and keyboard, DeX Pad helps you get the most out of your favorite apps,” Samsung Electronics America’s SVP Alanna Cotton said in a press release. “DeX Pad is more than an accessory, it is reflective of our philosophy of mobile technology: innovative devices and services, working together seamlessly, to help consumers do more.”
Our favorite feature of the new DeX Pad as compared to last year’s DeX Station is the fact that the phone lies flat on the Pad and can be used as a trackpad. This way, users need only a keyboard and a monitor instead of also needing to connect a mouse. Beyond that, the DeX Pad also adds 2K Quad HD (2560 x 1440) resolution support, and it features two USB-A 2.0 ports as well as an HDMI output.
Of note, the DeX Pad is compatible with the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, Galaxy S8 Active, Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S9, and Galaxy S9+, but only with variants that run Android 8.0 or later.
