The Galaxy Z Flip 7's best new feature is one that other Samsung phones have had for years
DeX transforms the phone into a portable PC when connected to an external display, providing a desktop interface with a taskbar and windowed apps.
Samsung previously omitted DeX from the Flip lineup due to thermal concerns, an issue it has seemingly resolved for the Galaxy Z Flip 7.
Clamshell foldables like the Galaxy Z Flip are gaining popularity by balancing portability and power. When folded, they become compact squares that easily fit into any pocket or purse. When unfolded, they function just like regular smartphones. However, achieving that compact, folding form factor requires some compromises, and for the Galaxy Z Flip lineup, Samsung has consistently left its DeX desktop mode on the cutting board. That omission ends now, as Samsung is finally making the new Galaxy Z Flip 7 the first in the lineup to fully support the feature.
If you aren't familiar with it, Samsung DeX is a robust desktop experience built into One UI. When you connect a compatible phone or tablet to an external display, DeX transforms it into a portable PC, showing a desktop-like interface instead of simply mirroring the screen. A taskbar at the bottom provides navigation buttons, the date and time, a notification shortcut, and a dock for your apps. You can launch apps in floating windows with familiar controls to minimize, maximize, close, or snap them to the sides.
DeX is a powerful productivity feature that's useful in a pinch or can even serve as a primary computing interface. To date, however, it has only been available on the flagship Galaxy S and Galaxy Z Fold series. Despite the Galaxy Z Flip lineup featuring flagship chipsets and ample memory, Samsung excluded DeX due to thermal concerns. The company worried that running DeX — especially while powering a portable display, various accessories, and multiple intensive apps — would cause the Flip to overheat.
With the Galaxy Z Flip 7, Samsung has seemingly solved these thermal issues, finally allowing the device to use DeX like its S and Z Fold siblings. While we don't have a video of DeX running on the Galaxy Z Flip 7, Samsung confirmed the feature's availability in a press release and during our briefing. We also spotted DeX's settings page during our hands-on time with the device. Samsung says that both wired and wireless DeX work on the Z Flip 7, though wireless DeX still only works with external displays that support Miracast.
Unfortunately, Samsung doesn't seem to have enabled DeX on the new Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, which is a shame. When we searched for the feature on the device, nothing appeared in Settings, unlike on the regular Z Flip 7. We don't know why the feature isn't enabled on the Z Flip 7 FE, but it could be due to product differentiation reasons or the same thermal concerns that prevented it from being enabled on older devices.
Left: Samsung DeX settings on the Galaxy Z Flip 7. Right: The Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE missing Samsung DeX settings.
Speaking of older devices in the Z Flip lineup, don't get your hopes up for DeX coming to your device. The Z Flip 5 was the first in the series to even support display output, and the Z Flip 6 was the first to add a vapor chamber for cooling. When the Z Flip 6 launched, we noticed it had a rudimentary desktop mode — somewhere between Android's stock experience and full DeX — which gave us hope Samsung might eventually bring the full feature to the device. While we still hope that's the case, we wouldn't hold our breath. Perhaps we'll find out for sure when One UI 8 arrives for the Z Flip 6.
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