Since its founding, smartphones have been participating in missions. This is to become a pocket computer that covers all your digital needs. Most of the time, they can do it – you can write an email on the phone. You can open and read the website over the phone. You can binge YouTube and Netflix on the phone.
So, why do we turn to laptops and desktop computers? Simple – Workflows provided by large devices. With a larger screen, you can open more web page tabs and juggle more conveniently. A large, physical keyboard is, of course, much more convenient for long-term typing. Multitasking is much more convenient in terms of layouting your desktop.
And for a really healthy working process… looking forward to the screen in front of you is much better than looking down on your smartphone screen. Ask your neck about that.
Duh, obviously, is that so?
But don't leave your smartphone. Currently, there are processors that rival entry-level laptops. They have high quality apps that allow you to create and edit many social media presence materials from your phone. And I know a few people in my life who don't own a computer. But more importantly, they own their own business and promote it entirely online through their smartphones.
So we're on the way there – what's next?
A foldable smartphone is set up to solve one of the challenges of smartphone workflows, and that's the display size. The process is still in progress to help you not only see things in a bigger way, but to be able to juggle two, three or five apps at once, and manufacturers are coming up with more ways to make multitasking convenient. Oppo and OnePlus have an “Open Canvas” mode, allowing you to juggle four apps on the screen, quickly switching between what's fully visible with just a tap.
The latest Honor Magic V5 has something similar in the form of “three app multitasking”, with three apps arranged horizontally on the screen. You can make them all full screen, tap on the left or right side of the screen and scroll from one to the other.
It's all going well. But what if you don't want folding? It can be due to either form factor, vulnerability, or price. Well, that's fine. Because the future lies elsewhere.
The future is the desktop experience
Credits given a place to which credits expire – Samsung was trapped in the future of mobile when it launched its Galaxy S8 eight years ago Comes with a dex station. Yes, at the time, Dex was not an autonomous software feature on the phone, so you actually had to carry around a small dock. There was a fan to keep the phone cool and a connection to keep the connection charging. Dex has since evolved. Recently, you can plug an external monitor into a Galaxy S25 or Galaxy Z fold 7 Connect your Bluetooth keyboard and mouse via the USB C port to get a full-fledged desktop experience on your monitor.
Samsung Desktop Experience
As I'm still running Android, I have a few quirks when it comes to copying and editing text, or how the mouse pointer works. But it is viable.
I've been talking about Dex for a few years now and I've seen a lot of skepticism, but you can also find comments online from people who enjoy it. Students are just one example, but there are also experts on the move. Enjoying the fact that all your files and working projects are on the phone, you can plug in and work from anywhere for a little while.
And now there are new classes of products too – some kind of “Laptop shell” with no hardware inside. It is a screen, keyboard, touchpad, all designed to pair with you Run Samsung phone and Dex. What are the advantages? It may be cheaper and lighter, and if you find yourself doing your job from the phone rather than from the computer, it makes sense.
Google knows
Pixels have desktop mode!
It took several years, but Google finally paid attention to Dex. and Android 16, pixel devices ((Pixel 8 and later) is getting desktop mode. Do what you say with tin and act like Dex. I'll plug in the monitor. Unfortunately, it appears to be a pixel-only feature at the moment. My hope is that every phone will eventually be unlocked as a general Android feature. Obviously there are probably hardware limitations, but if there is a higher tier Android phone, you should be able to do it, I hope.
Where is this?
Apple's caves are pretty slow and the device can do more than “that one thing.” You don't need to look any further than the iPad story to check.
The first iPad Pro was launched in 2015 as a special, expensive iPad. And what is the only thing that can do with that big canvas? I've slided to split the view. This was a very limited way of split screen multitasking. They are not supported by all apps to this day, but rather allow Windows to be snapped to a specific size and to a specific location on the screen.
Then, in 2022, Apple had to invent a whole new way of placing an on-screen window on the screen called Stage Manager. And again, that wasn't great as the windows still had to be locked to a certain size. It took until 2023 for the stage manager to float freely and become available for use.
And yes, today I can go to work on my iPad Pro alone, plug in one of the docks connected to the monitor, mouse and keyboard, and work as the author of Phonearena. The future is now! Also, just like Samsung Dex on tablets, the iPad can autonomously run the Stage Manager UI. No external monitor is required. Go to Stage Manager and use Multi-Window mode.
But what about the iPhone?
The history of iPhones is not that different. The first “plus” model was the iPhone 6 Plus with a 5.5-inch screen. It doesn't sound loud by today's standards, but please note that there was a 16:9 aspect ratio. That's why it had a fairly wide screen of 5.5 inches. When the iPhone XS Max was launched in 2018, it got even bigger.
However, these large screens only emphasized one thing. The iPhone was at an age where Samsung, LG (You Are Are), Sony and others had it as their default no-big deal feature and did not support split screens or floating windows.
It took Apple to finally include a picture video for iPhone until 2020. Hey, it's not that much, but it's something. At least you can dodge Apple TV or your favorite YouTube channel (Is that it? Phonearena? ) While doing other things on that 6.5 inch screen.
So at this tempo it will be around 2027 or 2030 before the iPhone acquires Stage Manager mode. The current focus is in particular on actually developing and implementing AI features promised in March 2025 but not being distributed.
Then again… maybe I'm wrong and this isn't a big deal. Voting time!
