See how Samsung DeX is getting better with One UI 8

Samsung DeX received a new user interface and some new features with the Android 16-based One UI 8.0 update. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 were the first devices to launch with One UI 8 out of the box, and the new software was also made available to the Galaxy S25 and other flagship devices.

The latest version of Samsung DeX is based on Android 16's Desktop Mode, developed by Google (who was inspired by Samsung DeX), rather than being a custom software implementation from Samsung. While some features from classic DeX were missing, Samsung recently added them to the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and the Galaxy Z Fold 7 via a software update.

If you want to use a monitor in a specific orientation (such as pivoting it to portrait mode), you can adjust DeX's settings on your phone to rotate the UI accordingly. Samsung gives you three display rotating options: 90 degrees, 180 degrees, and 270 degrees.

You can access these options by heading over to Settings » Connected devices » Samsung DeX » Connected display » Display rotation and selecting the necessary setting.

DeX now supports one more resolution: WQHD (a.k.a. QHD or 2,560 x 1,440 pixels). Earlier, only HD and Full HD were supported officially, with higher resolutions including 4K possible using a hack via Samsung's MultiStar app. So, if you have a QHD monitor, you can take advantage of this new setting for sharper visuals while using DeX.

You can access these options by heading over to Settings » Connected devices » Samsung DeX » Connected display » Display resolution and selecting the necessary setting.

The new version of DeX allows you to add widgets to the home screen, which is great if you want to have glanceable information. Some of the useful widgets on the DeX home screen could be battery, calendar, clock, sports scores, and weather.

You can pin any app on your phone to the taskbar on Samsung DeX. You can do that by simply dragging an app icon from the app drawer or the home screen and dropping it on the taskbar. It gives you faster access to apps that you use the most, thereby saving your time and improving productivity.

With older One UI 8 builds, the true full screen mode for app windows was hidden, and you had to jump through hoops to access it. Now, Samsung has added a dedicated full screen button to every app window's header. This is great for viewing media, such as photos and videos.

This full screen mode is different from the maximize mode that was available in earlier builds of One UI 8.0. It hides the window header and the taskbar, offering you an immersive view by using the entire screen. In full screen mode, you can bring up the taskbar or the window header by moving the mouse to the bottom or top edge of the screen.

You can now control where the on-screen keyboard appears in DeX. You can either set it to appear on the phone's screen or on the connected display (monitor or TV). To access this setting, heading into the Settings » Connected devices » Samsung DeX » Keyboard menu on your phone or tablet.

Samsung released most of these new features to the Galaxy S24 and S25 series, the Z Flip 6, and the Z Fold 6 with the One UI 8 beta update. The ability to add widgets to the home screen is only available on the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and the Galaxy Z Fold 7 as of September 17, but this could change in the future.