Hands-on with Linux on Samsung DeX for the Samsung Galaxy Note 9

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When Samsung DeX first launched with the Samsung Galaxy S8, I questioned the usefulness of it. Nearly 20 months and 3 flagship Galaxy launches later, some people still question how functional DeX can be. To make DeX more useful for professionals and developers, Samsung announced Linux on DeX back at SDC 2017 to improve the desktop experience with access to new apps. Now that Linux on DeX is finally in beta for the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and Samsung Galaxy Tab S4, I got to take it for a spin to see how it works. Linux on DeX is a legitimate desktop experience running on a phone.

Linux on DeX is a bold idea given the previous failures of companies trying to bring a GNU/Linux distribution to a mobile device form factor. Running a GNU/Linux distribution compiled for ARM on an Android device isn’t new, but this is the first time it has been done well. The underlying GNU/Linux distribution powering Linux on DeX is a modified Ubuntu 16.04 LTS created in a joint effort between Canonical (the company that maintains Ubuntu) and Samsung. Ubuntu had to be modified to account for Android’s security policy.

After having used Linux on DeX since the first beta release (I even wrote this article using it), my first impression of the product is that it’s definitely constrained by the hardware it’s running on. It’s obviously slower than running a GNU/Linux distribution on most x86 PCs, but it’s even slower than running the normal DeX mode. The device I tested it with was the 6GB RAM Samsung Galaxy Note 9 with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 and Adreno 630. Running both Android and Ubuntu can push the device to its limits. We don’t expect it to be perfect, but it should run, and oh boy, it definitively runs.

In case you haven’t gotten the message already, don’t install Linux on DeX for games or social media. The packages you install must be compiled for ARM64 (the architecture on the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and Samsung Galaxy Tab S4), so you’re pretty limited in what you can try without compiling things for yourself. Apps like Minecraft, Discord, and Google Chrome wouldn’t install, which sums up the experience of an “average user” looking to try out Linux on DeX. It’s not a replacement for a desktop computer or a laptop.

On the other hand, Samsung advertises Linux on DeX to developers. Developers are the one group of users that may use Linux on DeX to the fullest of its ability. It comes with IntelliJ and Geany for coding. Android Studio even runs on Linux on DeX. You can code, build, install, and test Android apps directly from your Galaxy Note 9 or Galaxy Tab S4. I was able to open an Android app in IntelliJ and compile the app and install it. It was even possible for me to start compiling LineageOS 16 for the OnePlus 6, straight on my Galaxy Note 9. Although as noted by developer me2151, it would have taken close to 6 hours to copy the repo and about 10 hours more to build the OS. By that time, I would have run out of battery on the Galaxy Note 9. There’s also the issue with RAM: it would have taken at least 8GB RAM to compile Android 8.0 from source. It is possible that future Samsung phones can actually be used as full development machines thanks to Linux on DeX, but just not the current phones.

Linux on DeX vs Normal DeX

While I was testing Linux on DeX, I also started to use regular DeX mode more often. As a result, I started to like regular DeX more than the new Linux on Dex. That’s because of the app and software support for casual users. With the regular DeX mode, you have access to a large number of Android apps and games, while Linux on DeX is really only viable for some development work. I have used an app called Parsec to stream games from my desktop to my laptop and phones. I was able to stream Fortnite from my PC to Samsung DeX, but this isn’t yet possible with Linux on DeX.

Just played desktop Fortnite on Samsung DeX through Parsec. Works pretty well actually. Limitations of emulating a touchscreen but otherwise good. pic.twitter.com/JA9GObdsEz — Max Weinbach 🦃 (@mweinbachXDA) November 17, 2018

Even still, DeX is nowhere close to replacing traditional laptops or desktops. Business professionals and some students may find DeX useful, and some developers might find the new Linux on DeX useful. However, both regular DeX and Linux on DeX are too constrained by the hardware they run on. We’re going to need more RAM and better support for ARM devices in Linux on DeX before it’s worth your consideration. As for regular DeX, it still has its uses from time to time so I don’t see myself abandoning it entirely just yet.

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