First Look: Samsung S9 and DeX Station

Sample units provided by Samsung

Having used the Samsung Note 5 and Samsung S7... I was interested to see what all the hype was about the Samsung S9 - mostly the DeX Station! ... and how some user may not need to carry a smartphone and laptop (with separate OS).

Back when I worked at Verizon I remember Motorola releasing a Lapdock compatible with the Droid 4 and Razr smartphones. This dock allows you to use your smartphone as a laptop. I thought this thing was going to be huge! Unfortunately, it did not sell as expected and future Motorola phones did not support the dock / have the correct connections. I do miss when phones featured an HDMI port right on the side.

That was back in 2012... Flash forward to 2018. Samsung is back with this idea. With Android software and hardware more mature and apps like Office 365's mobile suite and Google's Docs, Sheets, and of course Chrome - this solution would be great for anyone that is using the cloud desktop versions for work.

Mirabook with Samsung Smartphone

Moto Lapdock

As of now, Samsung only makes a desktop version of the DeX Station. Third party company, Miraxess seems to be filling that void with their recently crowdfunded, Mirabook.

Why the excitement? One device to manage. One data plan. One Hot desk for users to plug in a phone when they need to work in the office. Less prone to viruses and malware. No more losing a phone and laptop! No more data loss - Cloud backup with Google, Amazon, One Drive, or other option. Oh yeah, Major cost savings!

I'll be doing a full review soon. Check out some photos below. Actual screenshots coming soon.

Full Disclosure: This unit was provided by my Samsung representative for testing.

Dex Station Desktop Settings

Dex Station Dock Open

Dex Station package

Dex Station with Keyboard and Mouse

Dex Station Dock Ports - Ethernet, 2x USB, Power, and HDMI

Samsung Dex Station Dock with Dell Dock

Samsung S9 and Dex Station

Samsung Dex Station Taskbar

Samsung Dex Station Setup

Samsung Dex Desktop

Samsung Dex Station Apps

Samsung recently upgraded the DeX Station to the DeX Pad! New features include:

• Higher 1440p resolution (vs 1080p)
• Removes Ethernet
• HDMI cable included now
• Phone is now a trackpad
• Easier to use fingerprint

Samsung even has a DeX in Car solution. DeX (and iKey's BT-870-TP keyboard and IK-KV-13.3W flat panel display) along with Samsung's ability to use the new FirstNet - First Responders Network, makes this a great way to secure Police, Fire, and EMT devices, Swap cars, Track locations, and more.

Samsung Dex in Car Police Solution