The ability to power DeX without a dock is one of the many new features of the Galaxy Note 9. You're no longer required to spend over a hundred dollars on a dock that would enable your Samsung flagship to power a PC-like experience when connected to an external display. The Galaxy Note 9 lets you do that with a simple USB-C to HDMI dongle. Samsung has now started selling its official USB-C to HDMI dongle for the Galaxy Note 9.
Samsung's USB-C to HDMI dongle
The official Samsung USB-C to HDMI dongle has support for up to UHD and 4K screens with 60Hz refresh rate. It uses the HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.2 standards and is compatible with a variety of Samsung devices that have a USB-C port. On those devices, it's possible to mirror the screen on the TV with this dongle. The dock-less DeX experience is only limited to the Galaxy Note 9.
However, there's no compulsion to buy this particular dongle if you want to use DeX without a dock on the Galaxy Note 9. I have been able to do just that with an aftermarket dongle. Any USB-C to HDMI dongle can be used to run DeX without a dock on the Galaxy Note 9. The handset will show you a notification that it's recommended to use official Samsung accessories but it's not intrusive and won't prevent you from running DeX.
Samsung's official USB-C to HDMI dongle is available for purchase right now. It can be bought from Amazon for $31.
