Samsung DeX gets a redesign based on Android 16’s desktop mode [Gallery]

Ben Schoon | Jul 25 2025 - 2:15 pm PT

Samsung has delivered a revamped DeX experience in One UI 8 based on Android 16’s new desktop mode and, while most functionality is there, you might find some little tidbits that are different.

Samsung has been building out DeX as a phone-powered desktop environment for the better part of a decade now, with the feature having debuted on 2017’s Galaxy S8 series. The feature has improved steadily with time, but One UI 8 is giving it a fresh coat of paint to go with its new engine under the hood, as Samsung DeX is now powered by Android 16’s desktop mode.

At Google I/O, it was finally announced that Android is getting proper baked-in desktop mode support starting with Android 16, using DeX as a foundation. The feature is live in beta right now and still pretty rough around the edges, but Samsung has taken it and built out a fresh DeX experience that debuts on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7.

The new experience, for the most part, feels near-identical to what came before. You’ll get some fresh UI elements in the Quick Panel, but things are pretty similar on the whole. Some notable changes we spotted include the removal of a dedicated DeX tab in the Settings when you’re connected to an external display (replaced with the “Connected display” menu), and the “Exit DeX” button is no longer in the app drawer. On the bright side, though, that app drawer now scrolls vertically. The taskbar also now mirrors the docked apps on your phone’s display. That’s one of the places we can see connective tissue between Google’s desktop mode in Android 16 QPR1 and Samsung’s updated DeX experience.

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The folks over at Android Authority found a few more changes such as the removal of some right-click options for the desktop and taskbar, UI elements are now visible when video apps are in fullscreen mode, the “Pin” app option has been removed from windows, and several other quality of life tweaks.

Compared to Android 16’s “stock” desktop mode, DeX feels far more complete despite having a few deficiencies from Samsung’s previous fully-custom solution. But, on the whole, the vast major of people using DeX – which is a niche in the market anyway – probably won’t notice any significant differences.