- Samsung DeX offers a more mature and stable desktop experience, with better audio management, screen off, and multitasking than Motorola's solution.
- Motorola Smart Connect (formerly Ready For) stands out for its TV and gaming modes and its integration with WindowsHowever, it suffers from audio problems, reconnections, and a lack of automatic startup.
- Recent Motorola models often lose wired desktop mode by omitting DisplayPort Alt-Mode, while Android prepare a native desktop mode for future versions.
- Android's next official desktop mode could unify the experience across brands, but it still needs polishing and is expected mainly from Android 17 onwards.
If you have a Samsung mobile with DeX or a Motorola with its desktop mode (Ready For / Smart Connect), you've probably asked yourself the same question as many other users: Which platform is more convenient, powerful, and practical for using your mobile phone as a "pocket PC"? The reality is that both have matured a lot over the years, but they haven't done so in the same direction or with the same priorities.
Throughout this article we will calmly break down everything that is known about these solutions: Samsung DeX versus Motorola's desktop mode (first Ready For, now integrated into Smart Connect), its advantages, its real drawbacks in day-to-day use, how they connect, how well they work with Windows, with XR glasses, with the TV or with a monitor, and what's coming in the future with the new official Android desktop mode that Google prepare
What are Samsung DeX and Motorola Desktop Mode?
Both solutions stem from the same idea: transform the mobile interface into something similar to a desktop computer When you connect it to an external display, instead of seeing a mirrored version of your phone's screen, you get a desktop with a taskbar, resizable windows, and a more comfortable environment for working, playing games, or consuming content.
In the case of Samsung, this experience is called Samsung DeX And it's been on the market for several years, being refined generation after generation. It started as a system designed almost exclusively for using a mobile phone with a monitor, keyboard, and mouse, and today it's one of the most polished mobile desktop solutions available.
Motorola, for its part, first launched its platform under the name of ready forand later integrated it into Motorola Smart ConnectTheir approach is similar: when you connect the phone to a TV, monitor or PC, you can access different usage modes (PC, TV, games, video calls) with an interface adapted to each case.
The interesting thing is that, although the general idea is identical, Samsung and Motorola have made very different decisions regarding compatibility, advanced features, and actual user experience.especially when accessories like XR glasses, docks, or Windows connections come into play.
Evolution of connections: wired, wireless and PC
When they were launched, both Samsung DeX and Motorola's desktop mode were quite simple in one key aspect: They only worked via wired connectionYou connected your mobile phone to a monitor or TV using USB-C When connected to HDMI, the phone detected the second screen and launched its adapted desktop.
With ThereBoth brands made the leap to freedom of movement. Wireless support was added using technologies such as Miracast and options for Configure mobile app mirroring modeThis allowed the desktop image to be sent to a compatible TV or monitor wirelessly. This is especially useful on modern televisions and in offices with screens that have wireless reception.
A further step was integration with the computer. Both Samsung and Motorola They incorporated the ability to use their virtual desktop through a Windows PCso that a special window or mode opens on the computer screen where you see the DeX or Ready For environment and you can control the mobile phone as if it were another machine, for example using Windows 11 remote desktop.
Herein lies a major difference: Samsung has been gradually abandoning DeX for WindowsMeanwhile, Motorola has continued to focus on PC compatibility and highlights it as one of the advantages of Smart Connect. This means that, nowadays, those who prioritize Windows integration have more reason to look to Motorola.
The problem for Motorola is that, while it was pampering the Windows side, has abandoned wired desktop stands in many of its most recent modelsThis is primarily due to the lack of DisplayPort Alt Mode on the USB-C port. This means that not all current Motorola devices can output a wired video signal to a monitor, limiting the experience to wireless mode or use via a PC.
Motorola's desktop mode: Ready For and Smart Connect
Motorola's commitment to desktop mode materialized visibly with the Motorola Edge +which received an update to Android 11 that activated Ready For. From that moment on, the terminal was able to offer a very versatile desktop mode and TV mode, clearly inspired by what Samsung was already doing with DeX, but with some of its own nuances.
The basic idea is simple: You connect your mobile phone to a TV or monitor via a USB-C to HDMI cable (on compatible models) and the system automatically detects the second screen. At that point, you can choose between several modes: a PC-like environment, a video-focused multimedia mode, and apps de streaminga gaming mode, or a video call mode.
When you choose the PC modeAn interface appears with a taskbar and desktop-style windows. From there you can Open your applications in windowed mode.You can move them, resize them, and even work with several at once. To top it off, you can pair a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, or even use the phone itself as a touchpad, turning the whole thing into a kind of makeshift mini-laptop.
The best is that The mobile device continues to function independently while connected in PC mode.You can continue using your phone's screen to reply to messages, make calls, or perform any other task without interrupting what's happening on the external screen. It's like having two devices in one: a large desktop and your mobile phone in your hand.
If you choose to use TV mode, Motorola displays a multimedia launcher optimized for large screenswhich, in practice, turns any TV into a kind of Smart TVFrom that launcher you can open apps like YouTube, NetflixDisney+ and many others, with an interface designed to be viewed from the sofa.
In addition, TV mode opens the door to Make large video calls using your mobile phone's camera You can now play by connecting a Bluetooth controller, so your mobile games end up being displayed on a giant screen. Motorola even went so far as to market a specific accessory, the Ready for dockIt is designed to support the mobile phone and make it more comfortable to use in these types of scenarios, although it is not essential for everything to work.
Real-world experience with Motorola: advantages and problems
On paper, Motorola's proposal sounds very well-rounded, but intensive use reveals both strengths and weaknesses. Some users have thoroughly tested it. Ready For with devices like Viture Pro XR glasses and they have found both very positive aspects and some rather annoying drawbacks; the interaction with glasses and remote environments such as Remote Windows 11 on Meta Quest 3 It shows the potential and challenges of these flows.
Among the positive points, it is worth noting that the The "TV" and "Games" screens are very intuitive.They allow you to pin specific applications to a large interface for quick launch: Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, Prime Video and others are well integrated, making them very convenient to use on a TV or extended reality glasses.
El hardware of some compatible models, such as the Motorola Edge+ 2023It also works in its favor: it's a phone with very good specifications and an attractive price, with plenty of storage internal and a powerful processor. For those who want a secondary mobile phone designed for multimedia or as a backup.It may seem like a reasonable purchase, at least on paper.
Another positive detail is that The trackpad integrated into the Ready For interface works reasonably well.The Air Mouse mode (which allows you to move the cursor by tilting the phone in the air) is visually appealing and precise. In terms of responsiveness, the platform is capable of working at 120 Hz on some models, although sometimes you have to manually activate that refresh rate in the settings while in desktop mode.
However, as its use becomes more widespread, several limitations emerge. One of the most discussed is that Ready For does not automatically start in desktop modeWhen you connect your phone, often all you see is a simple vertical mirror of the screen. You have to go to the Ready For icon on the phone and manually select whether you want Desktop, TV, Game mode, etc. For someone who plugs and unplugs frequently, this gets a bit tedious.
Another drawback is that It is not possible to turn off the mobile phone screen without affecting what the glasses or external screen see.If you press the power button, the following appears: lock screen in the projected image. Some users have tried to mitigate this by changing the screen timeout to one minute and disabling features like "wake with motion," but this generates other undesirable effects: the connected screen remains black while the connection drops and re-establishes several times.
During this "dance" of reconnections, video playback may continue, but The audio plays at maximum volume through the phone's speakers for one or two seconds. While the system decides whether to send the sound back to the glasses. For anyone wanting to watch a movie in silence on a plane or in a quiet environment, this is a real nightmare.
Audio management in general is another weak point. There are cases where, when taking wireless earbuds out of their case, The phone does not automatically switch the sound to the headphones and continues to use the phone's speakers.To fix this, you have to go to Bluetooth settings, change audio profiles (for example, activate LE Audio on some Sony headphones) and cross your fingers that it remembers the setting next time.
Problems have even been reported such as the mobile phone forgot a recently paired paired earphoneThis forces you to delete and re-pair them within minutes. In contrast, the experience with many Samsung phones is that as soon as you turn on your Bluetooth headphones, the phone automatically and predictably switches the audio, exactly what you expect.
In addition, in models like the Edge+, The design with highly curved screen edges causes constant ghost touches. simply by holding the phone. Samsung mitigated this problem years ago by adjusting touch detection via software and smoothing the curvature in its latest models, while with Motorola the problem is more noticeable when using the device as a controller or touchpad.
Finally, comparing streaming image quality, some users perceive that Video compression and banding in dark scenes are more noticeable on Motorola than on Samsung.which detracts somewhat from the quality of the experience when watching movies or series on a big screen or in XR glasses.
Samsung DeX: maturity and refinement in daily use
Samsung DeX has been on the market longer, and that experience is noticeable in many small details that, in day-to-day use, They make a clear difference in comfort and stability.For many heavy users, the general feeling is that DeX "just works" almost every time, with very few unpleasant surprises.
One of the key points is that DeX can be configured to start automatically in desktop mode When you connect your phone to an external screen, there's no need to accept notifications or choose a mode each time: simply plug in the cable or establish a wireless connection, and the desktop interface appears instantly.
The experience with Bluetooth headphones, speakers, and audio destination switching It's also very polished. When you turn on your headphones, the system almost always passes the sound to them, without having to go into complicated settings or manually change profiles. It's the kind of detail you don't appreciate until you use another platform where this fails.
Another highly valued aspect is the possibility of Turn off your mobile screen while keeping DeX running smoothlySimply press the power button to turn off the phone's panel, and video playback or work sessions on the external screen barely flicker, even if, for example, a 120Hz mode is activated. There are no disconnections, prolonged black screens, or erratic audio.
In productivity environments, Samsung DeX offers a very stable multitasking system with resizable windows, keyboard shortcuts and good compatibility with most Android appsNot everything behaves like a native desktop program, but for many office tasks, browsing, and email management, it's more than enough, especially with high-end phones like the Galaxy S or Fold; if you're interested in comparing the different modes, it's worth checking how they compare. Tablet mode vs. desktop mode in other systems.
Even in more niche scenarios, such as use with XR glasses, DeX typically offers a more robust and seamless integration experience.Users who have directly compared DeX and Ready For with the same pair of glasses have clearly favored Samsung's solution due to better resource management, audio performance, and phone screen control.
Not everything is perfect, though. Samsung has been withdrawing official support for DeX for WindowsTherefore, PC integration is no longer the brand's primary focus. If using desktop mode through a Windows computer is critical for you, rather than connecting directly to a monitor or TV, this decision could be a drawback.
It should also be noted that DeX, by default, It operates at 60 Hz.To fully utilize the 120Hz refresh rate available on some phones, you'll need to use software extras like Good Lock and the Multistar module (for example, with settings like "I Love Samsung DeX"). Once configured, the smoothness is noticeably improved, but it requires a certain level of advanced customization.
Technical limitations in recent Motorola phones and Android support
One of the major issues looming over the future of Motorola's desktop mode is the hardware compatibility in their new modelsSome phones recently released by the brand have dispensed with support for DisplayPort Alt-Mode on USB-C, which means that a wired desktop can no longer be offered.
In practice, this means that The wired desktop experience will be limited to older models.Many of these devices have Android 16 as their last major update. Looking ahead, when Android 17 arrives with a new official desktop mode framework, there is a risk that no new Motorola device will allow combining that feature with a wired video output.
Some expect the company to be working on adapt your platform to the new desktop framework that Google is developing alongside partners like Samsung, but as of today there are no firm guarantees. If Motorola decides to rely solely on wireless connections or Windows integration, it may still be an interesting option, but it will lose some of the versatility offered by using a simple USB-C to HDMI cable.
On the other hand, Motorola continues to stand out Its support for using desktop mode through Windows computersThis feature is indeed part of their brand message. For those who always work with a laptop or PC and want to integrate their mobile device into that workflow, this function makes a lot of sense and can compensate for the lack of direct video output on some models.
The point is, if your priority is to have maximum flexibility in how you connect your mobile phone to external screens (wired, wireless, PC), you need to carefully review the specifics of each recent Motorola device, because they don't all offer the same features. With Samsung, although there are also differences depending on the model, the high-end line generally maintains fairly consistent support for DeX.
The future: Android's official desktop mode
While Samsung and Motorola have been developing their own desktop modes for years, Google is working on a native desktop mode for Android. which aims to change the landscape in the medium term. This feature, known as “Android Desktop Mode”, is designed to offer a more unified and standardized experience across brands.
According to leaks and tests carried out by experts such as Mishaal Rahman, this Android's desktop mode will include resizable windows, PC-style navigation elements, and an application management system similar to Windows or ChromeOS.The idea is to make switching between mobile and desktop modes seamless, without having to struggle with overly different interfaces.
The connection to the external display would be made primarily through the USB-C port, But it is very likely that wireless connections will also be explored as development progresses, something almost mandatory if it wants to compete head-to-head with what Samsung and Motorola already offer in this area.
However, everything points to the fact that This feature still needs a lot of interface polishing and stability.Therefore, it is not expected to arrive fully with Android 16. More realistic predictions point to a more robust launch with Android 17, probably debuting first on the new generation Pixel before spreading to other brands.
When Android's official desktop mode becomes a mature reality, we can expect that Manufacturers like Samsung and Motorola integrate it or combine it with their own solutionsSamsung already collaborates closely with Google on other fronts, so it's logical to think that DeX will eventually rely on this standard framework, adding its own improvements and customizations on top.
In the case of Motorola, it will be key to see How does its Smart Connect fit with this new native mode? And, above all, which devices will have compatible hardware to take full advantage of it, especially if wired video output is still absent in the most recent releases.
In the end, everything points to an ecosystem where The mobile desktop will no longer be an eccentricity of a few brands and it will become a more integrated option in Android, which can benefit users with better adapted apps, more stability and fewer "patched" solutions.
It is clear that Samsung DeX and Motorola's desktop mode pursue the same goal but achieve it with very different approachesSamsung prioritizes a highly polished, stable, and consistent experience, even with accessories like XR glasses, despite having reduced integration with Windows. Motorola offers visually stunning modes and an attractive multimedia hub, maintains good PC compatibility, and boasts flexibility, but suffers from practical issues with audio, reconnections, automatic activation, and, in recent models, a worrying loss of wired desktop functionality. In this clash of philosophies, DeX currently tends to prevail in overall usability, while Motorola is more appealing to those who value the Windows connection above all else and are less concerned with perfection in the smallest details.
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