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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As a result, DeX has long been just 'good enough' for casual users wanting to watch media or do light work on the go, but it has never been robust enough to fully replace a traditional PC for professionals. Google, however, is a different story. The company has spent years trying to break into the PC market with ChromeOS, which has seen major success in the education sector. But developing two operating systems simultaneously is inefficient, so Google is pooling its resources to merge the two platforms. This effort involves bringing many Chrome OS features to Android, such as a desktop version of Chrome with extension support, a Linux environment, and more. As part of these efforts, Google is finally adding proper desktop windowing and a new connected display experience to Android. The Android 16 release introduces a Desktop Mode with many DeX-like features, such as a taskbar at the bottom and support for freeform app windows. 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Samsung DeX settings in One UI 8 Connected display settings in One UI 8 The settings for Taskbar , Keyboard , Set default audio input , and App icon badges have been removed. Taskbar: Can no longer toggle auto hide taskbar, toggle the navigation buttons, toggle the finder (search button), toggle the keyboard language, toggle the keyboard (either on screen or on phone), toggle the volume, or toggle the screenshot button. Keyboard: Can't set the on screen keyboard location either on the connected display or the phone by default, can't toggle showing the on screen keyboard when a physical keyboard is being used. Set default audio input: This setting made sounds play through the connected TV or monitor when Samsung DeX started. App icon badges: Changed how notifications were shown on app icons, either as a small number or a dot. , , , and have been removed. Classic Samsung DeX settings in One UI 7 App icon badge settings under classic DeX in One UI 7 Taskbar settings for classic DeX in One UI 7 Keyboard settings for classic DeX in One UI 7 The Flow pointer to phone screen page has been removed. This setting let you choose if you wanted to enable mouse continuity between the phone and external display. It has functionally been replaced by the Android 16 display topology feature that allows you to rearrange where your phone and external display are located in virtual space. However, mouse continuity is enabled by default now and cannot be disabled. page has been removed. This setting let you choose if you wanted to enable mouse continuity between the phone and external display. It has functionally been replaced by the Android 16 display topology feature that allows you to rearrange where your phone and external display are located in virtual space. However, mouse continuity is enabled by default now and cannot be disabled. Lock DeX and exit DeX buttons were removed from the app drawer: The lock DeX button locked DeX, requiring you to enter your phone's screen lock or biometrics. The Exit DeX button allowed you to quit DeX. and buttons were removed from the app drawer: The lock DeX button locked DeX, requiring you to enter your phone's screen lock or biometrics. The Exit DeX button allowed you to quit DeX. The Pin app button has been removed from apps' header bars. This button allowed you to pin an app to keep it on top of other apps you open. Flow pointer to phone screen settings for classic DeX in One UI 8 Lock DeX and exit DeX buttons for classic DeX in One UI 7 Pin button in app header for classic DeX in One UI 7 MultiStar removed the ' I❤️Samsung DeX ' menu. The 'High resolutions for external display' option is still there in the main MultiStar menu, but the 'run many apps at same time' which allowed you to run more than 5 apps at a time, auto open last app which allowed you to reopen the last app you had open, and set taskbar and header bar display time option which allows you to change the delay for showing the header bar have been removed. ' menu. The 'High resolutions for external display' option is still there in the main MultiStar menu, but the 'run many apps at same time' which allowed you to run more than 5 apps at a time, auto open last app which allowed you to reopen the last app you had open, and set taskbar and header bar display time option which allows you to change the delay for showing the header bar have been removed. Miscellaneous behavior changes You can't snap windows to the top anymore, but you can still double click app headers to maximize them. You can't right click the taskbar to access taskbar settings You can't right click the desktop to change how apps are sorted, clean up the desktop, or access screen zoom settings Finally, the app header bar and taskbar remain on screen even if you're trying to watch a video in full screen. Watching a full screen video in classic DeX on One UI 7 Watching a full screen video in the new DeX in One UI 8 As far as we can tell, the only proprietary DeX components that remain are its touchpad, wallpaper settings, S Pen integration, and wireless display connectivity. Fortunately, the new version of DeX retains most of the basic functionality of the classic experience, so most people should be satisfied with it. Samsung DeX home screen in One UI 8 New header bar dropdown options in One UI 8 DeX Redesigned app drawer in One UI 8's DeX Redesigned notifications tray in One UI 8's DeX Redesigned Quick Settings tray in One UI 8's DeX Redesigned recents menu in One UI 8's DeX While Samsung might add some classic features back in future updates, there's no guarantee. One thing is certain, however: Samsung won't be returning to its old DeX implementation. However, assuming Google commits to its desktop Android plans, the future for the new version of DeX looks bright. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
