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Last year, it was rumored that Google would introduce full desktop mode with the Pixel 8 line. The company enabled display output on the handset last month, but the experience is still quite lacking.
However, this situation may not last much longer, as Android Authority has found evidence that Google is improving desktop mode in the background. This could mean that Google plans to release this in the upcoming Android 15 update.
As this article points out, desktop mode has been around since Android 10 in 2019, but it was woefully inadequate. As it stands, it is not intended for the buyer to use the phone like his PC, but for the developer to test the app with multi-display usage. It lacks many basic features that would be truly useful to the average user.
Using the Android 14 QPR Beta 2.1 build, Mishaal Rahman from the site was able to enable the desktop mode experience in its current state. This seems to have come a long way in the last few years.
As the video above shows, Android desktop mode behaves more like Windows, macOS, and Linux than before. Windows not only has titles and icons, but now you can freely drag and resize them. Minimizing, maximizing, and snapping to the edge of the screen are all now possible.
While this is a big improvement, it’s important not to overestimate it as a complete desktop solution. As it stands, it still lacks many features that desktop users would take for granted, such as keyboard shortcuts and what Luhrmann calls a “robust desktop launcher.” On top of that, many apps don’t yet support drag and drop, which seriously clips the mode’s wings.
These issues can and probably will be fixed, but it will take time. It could debut at Google I/O in May, alongside the Pixel 9 this fall, or later.
In the meantime, if you want a phone that offers a great experience on both mobile and desktop, you should consider a Samsung phone with DeX support or a Motorola device with Ready For. Both offer a more powerful experience than stock Android, but hopefully this won’t be the case for long.
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