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Samsung Galaxy S9 might launch with a "DeX Pad"
- A Samsung trademark filed in Europe suggests Samsung is working on a device called the “DeX Pad”.
- The Samsung DeX is a dock that enables Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus owners to use their phones as a desktop computer.
- The DeX Pad might be an update to the original DeX, possibly in a wireless charging pad form factor.
The Samsung DeX flew a bit under the radar when released alongside the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, but that doesn’t diminish the possibilities it presented. Now it appears that the DeX will be getting an update, as Samsung recently filed a trademark in Europe for something called the DeX Pad.
If you are not familiar with the Samsung DeX, it’s a portable dock that lets you turn a Samsung Galaxy S8 or S8 Plus into a full-blown desktop computer. You simply snap the phone into the dock, connect a mouse and keyboard via USB or Bluetooth, hook up a display, and get to work. Android Authority’s own Edgar Cervantes spent a week using the DeX as a PC, so give his review a read if you want to go more in depth about what is possible using the DeX.
The primary complaints about using the DeX system was its slow load time, its limited amount of ports, and issues translating the Android experience to a desktop model. But the concept of hooking your phone up to a display and getting desktop-style work done is amazing, as it would enable people to travel without lugging their laptop around.
We don’t know much about the DeX Pad as of yet, other than its moniker. One can extrapolate that the current form factor of a pod-like dock will be updated to be more like a wireless charging pad. Rather than docking the phone using its USB Type-C connector, you would simply lay it flat on a device. If this is true, it will make using the device a seamless experience; drop your phone on the pad and get to work, pick your phone up off the pad and go about your day.
With the releases of the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus right around the corner, one can assume that we’ll hear more about the DeX Pad in the coming weeks. Hopefully, it will be backward compatible with earlier Samsung phones and feature a more robust variety of ports. Either way, the DeX Pad has a ton of potential.