The Best Android Desktop in 2026 Isn’t Made by Google

How does Samsung DeX on the Galaxy S26 Ultra compare against the Pixel desktop experience in Android 17?

In 2026, the line between a phone and a true desktop computer is blurrier than ever before. The Android OS will soon be launching on laptops. Desktop Mode on the latest phones is more powerful than ever. And even Apple's latest MacBook is basically iPhone 16 Pro internals inside a laptop shell.

But what about the OG mobile desktop experience? Samsung DeX has been around since 2017, and the latest iteration in One UI 8.5 is the most complete desktop experience I've seen on mobile -- even more so than what Google's building for Android 17.

So let's take a look at the state of DeX in 2026, and how it's shaping up against the competition.

0:00 Intro
0:50 DeX 8.5 vs Android 17 Desktop: Basic UI
2:58 Windowing
5:17 Compatibility
7:13 Limitations
8:43 Closing Thoughts: The Best Android Desktop?

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