Android 16 is finally here, however sadly, a few of the greatest options are nonetheless on the horizon. One upcoming instrument that I’ve been retaining a very shut eye on is Android 16’s Desktop Mode, presently obtainable within the QPR1 Beta 2. It’s been some time since I gave Samsung’s equal Dex setup a go, so I’m very eager to see what’s completely different, what’s new, and the way far issues have come.
Desperate to strive it out, I grabbed my Pixel 9 Pro XL, put in the newest beta, and determined to strive engaged on my telephone for a number of hours (together with writing this text) to see the way it goes.
Will you utilize Android’s Desktop Mode when it launches?
16 votes
In the event you’re tempted to dip your toes in, you’ll want a number of issues first: QPR1 Beta 2 put in on a Pixel with DisplayPort capabilities, Developer Mode enabled with the “Allow desktop expertise options” toggle checked, and a USB-C cable related to a DisplayPort-compatible show. That’s it for the fundamentals, so let’s dive in.
Peripherals galore
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
In the event you’re planning to make use of a telephone as a PC, peripherals higher darn properly work simply. Fortunately, I had no bother pairing my wi-fi keyboard and mouse to the Pixel 9 Professional XL through Bluetooth. As you’d anticipate, a few fast faucets was all it took — if something, the trickiest half was remembering how one can pair my keyboard with a second gadget.
For the remainder of my setup, I used the identical USB-C dock/hub that’s often paired with my laptop computer; it connects the whole lot over a single cable, together with my HDMI monitor, USB audio interface hooked as much as audio system, 1 Gbps Ethernet, varied USB-A/C ports, and a microSD card reader for picture work.
The excellent news? The Pixel related immediately to my show, appeared crisp on my 1080p panel, and didn’t require any tweaking for icon sizing (although that choice exists). It additionally mechanically routed audio via the USB interface, which means I might use my common audio system with no further setup. Hallelujah—this really appears like the actual deal. Simply plug and play.
I feared that Android’s Desktop Mode would fail at this primary peripheral hurdle, nevertheless it nails it.
It even acknowledged a microSD card and an exterior onerous drive with no points, opening the door to massively expanded storage for each work and play. Android’s file administration isn’t excellent, however I used to be capable of transfer pictures on and off my digital camera’s card with somewhat effort. I anticipated Desktop Mode to stumble right here, nevertheless it completely nailed it.
Even higher, the USB hub passes energy via to maintain the Pixel charged whereas in use. That is important since CPU utilization is means up when working a number of apps facet by facet. I noticed all eight CPU cores being tapped not less than partially, almost the complete time. Talking of, how does efficiency maintain up?
How’s the efficiency?
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
Google’s Tensor G4 contained in the Pixel 9 sequence may not be the quickest chip round, nevertheless it’s greater than able to dealing with nearly the whole lot I throw at it every day. It seems that it additionally has sufficient juice to get some severe work carried out in a PC-like setup.
Messaging, looking a number of tabs, modifying Google Docs — all no downside. I loaded some heavyweight spreadsheets to try to break it, however no cube. Lightroom additionally ran easily, dealing with picture edits identical to it does on the telephone. Gaming isn’t any downside both; efficiency feels native to what you’ll expertise in telephone mode.
Efficiency is surprisingly sturdy, even with a number of apps open.
Nonetheless, essentially the most spectacular half? Apps don’t simply run in phone-sized home windows — they usually open of their pill or foldable layouts, which match naturally right into a desktop setup. Chrome, Maps, Calendar, and even some non-Google apps appeared and felt proper at house in a PC setting. I immediately opened up a full panorama model of Lightroom (no further obtain wanted), giving me ample area to assessment my edits. Clearly, Google’s push for multi-form issue app assist is beginning to repay. Nevertheless, older apps that haven’t been optimized can nonetheless behave poorly, so your mileage could differ.
That mentioned, these stay mobile-first apps. Chrome doesn’t magically provide extension assist just like the desktop model, which stays a extreme limitation if you wish to use this setup as a serious productiveness instrument. Fortunately, that looks to be changing soon.
To push issues additional, I opened a number of Chrome tabs, streamed 4K video, launched a number of mild apps, and even fired up a spherical of PUBG Cell. The Pixel actually warmed up, however no stutters or system slowdowns to talk of. Telephones have been stable multitaskers for some time now — this simply proves they’re able to go toe-to-toe with light-weight laptops.
What’s particularly slick is that apps maintain working in your telephone when you unplug from the desktop. Chrome tabs, paperwork, and even video games stay open and able to resume the place you left off. That mentioned, I hit a number of bugs: apps didn’t at all times return to the exterior show accurately if I pulled them to the telephone, recreation resolutions gitched if I pulled them to and from the telephone, and the interface bugged out a number of instances when making an attempt to make use of a number of desktops.
It’s good, however there’s a cause its nonetheless in beta
Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority
General, I’m actually impressed with Android 16’s Desktop Mode. It’s remarkably polished for a beta, nevertheless it’s not fairly prepared for primetime. Connecting to an exterior show generally failed, I bumped into UI-breaking bugs when switching desktops, and a few older apps hijacked the entire display with no option to exit them.
A couple of anticipated PC conveniences are nonetheless lacking as properly. There’s no mouse sensitivity management (which made scrolling some apps a chore), no devoted activity supervisor to kill misbehaving apps, and resizing home windows causes the contents to utterly disappear quickly. Additionally, some Android options aren’t supported but — you’ll be able to’t work together with notifications or toggle Wi-Fi/Bluetooth with out reaching to your telephone.
Desktop Mode isn’t absolutely baked but — nevertheless it’s very, very shut.
In fact, Desktop Mode isn’t the one option to work together together with your telephone through a PC. Home windows now has a dedicated Phone Link panel, and types like HONOR will even permit you to open apps on suitable laptops. However these are fairly restricted: they largely deal with messaging, picture entry, and notification forwarding. This might be a lot for most individuals who solely must sync the necessities, however Desktop Mode goes a lot additional, providing a real laptop-like expertise you’ll be able to pocket.
Regardless of my constructive expertise, I’ve reservations about the entire idea. Not everybody can have a USB-C dock useful, so connecting up important peripherals and the like received’t at all times be really easy. You’ll additionally desire a mouse and keyboard setup that helps fast connection swapping, which I’ve, however am very conscious that not everybody can have at hand.
In any case, Android 16’s Desktop Mode already feels very succesful, even when it’s not excellent. I simply hope we received’t be ready for Android 17 to see it launch absolutely. Both means, Android is edging nearer to changing into a real desktop-class OS, and that’s very thrilling.
