Galaxy Note Tips & Tricks

Samsung DeX

How to use Samsung DeX for PC with Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10+?

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Samsung DeX for PCSamsung DeX for PC allows you to use Galaxy Note 10 in the DeX mode (extended/desktop mode) on your PC or laptop without any dongles or accessories.

This is one of the most useful new features of Galaxy Note 10.

This Galaxy Note 10 guide explains the setup and requirements of Samsung DeX and shows you how to use the DeX for PC with Galaxy Note 10. Some caveats of using Samsung DeX were also explained.

What is the difference between DeX for PC and Samsung DeX?

Samsung DeX is the desktop mode of the supported Android phones (mainly Samsung Galaxy S and Note series) and a few Galaxy Tab S tablets.

With an external dongle (Samsung DeX Station, DeX Pad, or DeX cable), you can use the phone or tablet in the desktop mode on an external monitor with a mouse and keyboard. You can use the phone on the phone screen simultaneously, or use the phone screen as a touchpad.

Samsung introduced Samsung DeX with Galaxy S8. Galaxy Note 8, Note 9, S9, S10, and now Galaxy Note 10, all support Samsung DeX.

Prior to Galaxy Note 10, you need an adapter to run Samsung DeX. The following table summarizes the compatibility of DeX accessories with the supported Samsung phones.

Although DeX for PC is just a special mode of Samsung DeX, the difference between Samsung DeX and DeX for PC is obvious:

  • Samsung DeX works on a monitor (or TV). DeX for PC works on a PC or laptop.
  • Samsung DeX requires a mouse (keyboard is optional). You can use the phone screen as a touchpad (requires Android Oreo or later Android). DeX for PC uses your PC/laptop’s keyboard and mouse.
  • DeX for PC allows you to drag and drop to share files between the phone and the PC.
  • DeX for PC only requires a USB cable. Both USB-C cable and USB-A to USB-C cable are supported.
  • DeX for PC only works with Galaxy Note 10  and Galaxy Note+ (and Tab S6 for tablet). While Samsung DeX works with more devices.
…

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Top 10 new features of Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ you should try

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Top 10 new features of Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+Although Galaxy Note 10 received a mixed reception, there are many new features of Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ you may enjoy.

In this post, I will summarize the top 10 new features of Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+, which are quite impressive and exciting. They include Samsung DeX for PC, updated video editor, native screen recorder, the new S Pen, 25w/45W Superfast charging, 3D scanner (Galaxy Note 10+ only, not released yet), wireless Powershare, AR doodle, zoom-in mic, and the night camera mode.

The missing features of Galaxy Note 10 can be found here. An overview review of Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ was posted here.

In this guide, Galaxy Note 10 refers to both Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10+ unless the special features are on Galaxy Note 10+ only. If this is the case, we will use Note 10+ explicitly. The differences between Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10+ are discussed in this post.

#1. Samsung DeX for PC: the best new feature of Galaxy Note 10

Samsung DeX, which was introduced in Galaxy S8 and later available on Galaxy Note 8, Note 9, S9,  S10, and now Note 10,  is probably the most useful innovation bringing Android to a bigger screen, It transforms your phone into an Android desktop when connected to a large screen.

For Galaxy S8 and Note 8, you need to use the DeX station to connect the phone to the external monitor.  The slimmer DeX Pad was introduced with Galaxy S9 and can be used on Galaxy S8 and Note 8 as well. Galaxy Note 9 introduced the DeX cable, and you only need a USB-C to HDMI cable to use DeX with Note 9. This feature was ported to Galaxy S9 after the Android Pie update.  Currently,  Galaxy Note 9,  Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S9, and Galaxy S10 can use any of them (DeX cable, Dex Station, or DeX Pad) to switch to the DeX mode. Galaxy S8 still needs a DeX Station or a DeX Pad to launch Samsung …

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Galaxy Note 10 review: the death of Galaxy Note

Samsung is destroying Galaxy Note with Galaxy Note 10

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Galaxy Note 10 review: the death of Galaxy NoteWith the official announcement of Galaxy Note 10 (and Note 10+), many long-term Galaxy Note owners are disappointed, although there are many BS articles claiming how innovative and how exciting Galaxy Note 10 is. This is a no BS Galaxy Note 10 review from a long-term Galaxy Note owners who owned every Galaxy Note devices.

This Galaxy Note 10 review is an overall review about Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ (the difference between Note 10 and Note 10+ can be found here). The detailed review of the new features of Galaxy Note 10 (and Note 10+) is posted here. And the detailed review of the missing features of Galaxy Note 10 (and Note 10+) can be found here.

When the first Galaxy Note was announced in 2011, many are not convinced. They were correct, and they are still correct.

Galaxy Note is for a niche market where owners use two hands (instead of one) and like to use the S Pen to “write” (instead of touch). So, it is not for the mainstream phone users.  The screen size of the 5.3″ Galaxy Note is more than twice (actually 2.23 times, 81.4  vs. 36.5 cm²) of that on the 3.5″ inch mainstream phone (iPhone 4) in 2011.

The growing user community who enjoys the bigger screen helped Samsung lead the industry in adopting a bigger screen in the mainstream phones. Today, most smartphones have a screen larger than 5″.

But the success of Galaxy Note is not just the big screen.

The success of Galaxy Note is due to 1) Big screen, and 2) S Note

The early adopters of Galaxy Note consisted of two groups of buyers:

  1. People who prefer a big screen to read books/website, to play games or videos on the phone.
  2. People who like to write on the big screen with the S Pen.

For the first group owners, they have got more and more choices over the years because all smartphone manufacturers gradually increased the screen size of their flagship smartphones. So, they are …

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How to use S Pen remote control on Galaxy Note 9?

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use S Pen remote control on Galaxy Note 9S Pen remote control on Galaxy Note 9 allows you to use the new S Pen to control some apps remotely through a Bluetooth connection.

You can even customize the app actions corresponding to the single press (press the S  Pen button once) and double press (press the S Pen button twice).

This Galaxy Note 9 S Pen guide explains how to use and customize S Pen remote control on Galaxy Note 9.

What is S Pen remote control on Galaxy Note 9?

The Galaxy Note 9 S Pen is Bluetooth-enabled. And Samsung wants you to use it as a remote control so that you can free your hands from the phone screen.

If you ever used a selfie stick, you may already know the importance of a remote shutter for the selfie stick.

Now, with Galaxy Note 9, you can just press the S Pen button once to take a photo. You can press the button twice to switch between the front and rear camera.

Or when you hook Galaxy Note 9 to a projector to do a presentation (in either screen mirroring or Samsung DeX mode), you can use S Pen as a wireless presenter.

Besides the camera app and PowerPoint app, you can also use S Pen remote control on Galaxy Note 9 to control a few other apps.

There are 3 categories of S Pen remote control on Galaxy Note 9:

  1. Open app or S Pen function. You can designate one app to be opened when you press the S Pen button (and when you are in Galaxy Note 9 Home screen or Apps screen). You can also choose one S Pen feature (e.g., smart select) if you do not want to open an app.
  2. App actions. You can choose the corresponding operations for single press and double press of the S Pen in supported Samsung and Google apps.
  3. Universal control or master control. You can assign operations for all third-party camera apps and media apps.

In short, S Pen remote control allows you to perform operations in some apps without looking …

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Top 9 new features of Galaxy Note 9

Should you upgrade to Galaxy Note 9? Is Galaxy Note 9 a right phone for you?

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Top 9 new features of Galaxy Note 9Samsung unveiled Galaxy Note 9, the 8th generation of Galaxy Note devices, on August 9 (press release).  You will be able to get one in retail stores on August 24.

As the latest generation of Galaxy Note devices, you should expect some new features of Galaxy Note 9 in this phablet.

This guide will explore the top nine new features of Galaxy Note 9 (compared to Galaxy Note 8) to help you understand the differences and enhancements in Galaxy Note 9.

You may check and download the official Samsung Galaxy Note 9 user manual in your local language to try these features.

#1. Top 9 new features of Galaxy Note 9: Bluetooth-enabled S Pen

S Pen is one of the signature accessories for all Galaxy Note devices although a few Samsung tablets (e.g., Galaxy Tab S4 and Tab A) started to get S Pen bundled.

But S Pen in Galaxy Note 9 got a significant update: the S Pen is now Bluetooth enabled.

In addition to all existing S Pen features, you can now use the S Pen as a remote control for Galaxy  Note 9: a remote shutter for Galaxy Note 9 camera, a remote control of media player, a presenter for your presentation with Galaxy Note 9, a remote launcher of some apps. You may check this guide on how to use S Pen remote control on Galaxy Note 9.

You do not need to worry about the battery life and charging the battery in the new S Pen. You put the S Pen in the S Pen slot in Galaxy Note 9 for 1 minute; the S Pen will be ready for use up to 30 minutes.

The secret lies on the supercapacitor, not a regular battery, which powers the S Pen. The lifespan of a supercapacitor is also far longer than a standard lithium battery, and therefore you should never need to replace the supercapacitor even if you use Galaxy Note 9 for the next 10 years.

Please check this page on how to use and charge the new Galaxy Note 9 …

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