South Korean giant, Samsung recently launched its flagship Android tablet, the Galaxy Tab S4, in India. Priced at Rs. 57,900, the Tab S4 competes directly against Apple’s iPad Pro, but has a couple of really cool features that sets it apart from the competition.
First things first, let me clarify to you what Standalone DeX Mode is, and how it’s different from DeX Mode you’ll find on something like the Note 9. Samsung DeX is a PC-like interface for Samsung’s Experience UI that makes the Android experience more usable in a PC-format, which can come in handy to be honest. However, for DeX, you need an external monitor to connect your Samsung device with, which means it’s not a portable solution even if it is a rather elegant one that helps you avoid carrying a laptop for the most part; or at least tries to.
Galaxy Tab S4 Standalone DeX Mode: A Mixed Bag
So what’s it like, using the Tab S4 in Standalone DeX Mode? Well, it’s a mixed bag of awesomeness and disappointments. I’m writing this article on the Tab S4, in the Standalone DeX Mode and it’s definitely very usable.
However, DeX Mode doesn’t have window snapping, which is definitely a feature that I use a lot (heck I even use a window-snapping app on my MacBook because Apple still hasn’t put it in). Some apps don’t play all that well with DeX either. Chrome looks perfectly nice in landscape mode on DeX, but open a few tabs and once they start to overflow, the tab markers aren’t resized properly which makes it very difficult to go to a tab that’s not fitting into the display leaving you with either having to control+tab all the way to it, or using the control+number key combo to navigate around.
A Short Note About Gaming in DeX Mode
I’m not sure if anyone has this doubt, but they might, so I’ll clear this out anyway. If you thought you can use DeX Mode to play Fortnite, PUBG Mobile, yada yada on your tablet with a keyboard and mouse, well, you can’t.
In conclusion, Standalone DeX is definitely a feature that I’m very impressed with. It can make the Tab S4 work a lot like a laptop, but there are issues that you’ll run into often enough to make you realize that it’s not a laptop replacement by any means. That said, if Samsung keeps working on DeX (and I think they will), I’m sure the company can turn it into a very useful, and more importantly, usable product that you’ll love to use on your tablet, and then maybe, I’ll look into it again and see if it can replace my MacBook Pro for work stuff.
