A reviewer worked a full day from a Pixel phone connected to a monitor. Android's Desktop Mode works as a backup PC, with some clear rough edges.
A reviewer at Android Police ran his workday from a Google Pixel phone plugged into a monitor. His verdict: Android's Desktop Mode is not a perfect laptop replacement, but it gets the job done. For Pixel owners, it could be a handy backup if a laptop gives out.
Desktop Mode turns a phone into a basic computer when it connects to a bigger screen. Apps open in windows, and a keyboard and mouse work as they would on a PC. Google introduced it on Android last year and rolled it out to Pixel phones first in March this year. It borrows heavily from Samsung DeX, a similar feature on Samsung devices. Updates since launch have mostly been small fixes to app windows and general speed.
If the monitor supports Power Delivery, it can charge the phone too. A USB-C hub can also work, but its specs must confirm it handles charging and video output at the same time. With a plain HDMI cable, the reviewer had to unplug to charge his Pixel 9 Pro XL, though that still allowed a few hours of steady work.
The biggest gripe is that Desktop Mode starts with a blank desktop each time. Samsung DeX saves open windows and brings them back on the next plug-in. That matters for anyone picking up unfinished work, such as a document.
The phone screen also cannot stay locked or show a screensaver while the monitor is in use. There is no separate setting for the phone display, and the phone and monitor cannot have different wallpapers. In a text editor with two windows, duplicate typing cursors also appeared.
App support is uneven. YouTube looked like a stretched phone layout and stayed that way after a restart. Opening YouTube in a web browser, with the desktop site turned on, looked much cleaner. YouTube Music has a better two-panel layout. Shopee could not be made to fill a wide screen, which the reviewer says is up to app makers, not Google.
Pixel owners can test it with a cable and a spare monitor. A slider in the External display settings adjusts scaling and text size, and the same menu offers resolution options. Treat it as a fallback for a few hours of work, not a full replacement.
If you own a Pixel, Desktop Mode is worth testing as a backup workstation, as long as you accept a blank start screen and some awkward apps.
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