When Samsung announced that DeX would be going wireless in One UI 2.5, which was introduced on the Note20, I was excited. Until that point, I’d hardly touched the app because of the requirement to plug my phone into my PC. Sadly, wireless DeX only worked with compatible TVs and monitors, leaving most computers in the cold. Now with One UI 3.1 on the Galaxy S21, that’s finally changed.
The first thing you’ll need to do to get started with wireless connectivity is to update to the latest version of the DeX client on your PC. After that, press the DeX shortcut in quick settings on your phone and choose DeX on PC. Then you’ll find the desired device from the list, and connect. At this point, you’ll get a connection prompt on the PC itself — it’s worth mentioning that this doesn’t work if you have Link to Windows connected, so you’ll need to switch that off before opening DeX.
Once everything is connected, you’ll get the same DeX experience you’re used to, although it will be limited to 1080p in wireless mode. When I tried this with my TV, everything was laggy and stuttery — on the PC, in contrast, this wasn’t the case. The input delay is minimal, but I still wouldn’t play a game in this mode; cabled is still the way to go for that. But if you want to access your files or fire up a presentation stored on your phone, this should be fine.
Unfortunately, S Pen support isn’t working like you’d expect it to. Your phone still can be used normally when connected to a PC like this, and that’s great on the one hand, as I can do my work in DeX while browsing social media on my phone. But if you open Samsung Notes and enter drawing mode on the PC, it’ll use your mouse — you can’t grab the phone and start sketching with your S-Pen. This seems like an opportunity missed, especially now that the S Pen has reached the S series mainstream.
For now, you’ll need a Galaxy S21 if you want to try this out. We tested this on our Tab S7+ with One UI 3.1 installed, but the feature appears to be missing. I hope that eventually changes, but for now, it looks to be device specific.
