As it debuts the new Galaxy Note 10, Samsung is now turning DeX into a stand-alone app.

For the uninitiated, it lets owners of certain Galaxy phones or tablets to get a desktop experience out of their mobile device, which was first introduced with the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus.

New DeX Experience

As reported earlier by Android Police, DeX now has a new version that runs on a PC or laptop, basically allowing both the phone and computer to work in the same space.

Before this, it used to be just an accessory — or to be exact, a dock. Now the handset can be connected to a monitor via a USB-C to HDMI cable and work alongside a PC.

It's still more or less the same as before when it comes to interface and functionality of the app itself, but there are some clear advantages here now that it's a PC app. For starters, users can now access their mobile's calls and messages and other software and use them together with their computer's other apps.

Files are easier to manage this way too, since users can drag and drop them from the mobile to the PC and vice versa.

It's also worth mentioning that DeX isn't the same as the new Link to Windows feature that debuted with the Galaxy Note 10. While users can access messages and the like through the latter, the interface is different, not to mention it's wireless.

The new DeX app is compatible only with the Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10 Plus at the moment, and it works on Windows 7, Windows 10, and macOS 10.13 or later.

Before anyone asks, no, it doesn't support the Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10e, or Galaxy S10 Plus. However, considering that the Galaxy S10 lineup doesn't really differ in terms of specs from the Galaxy Note 10, there's likely a good chance that compatibility will expand to them, since they have the hardware to run it, after all.