The most recent offer of Motorola smartphones Smart ConnectAn Android office experience similar to the famous Samsung Dex.
However, Unlike Samsung, it is available on a much wider range of devices and – something that I can only applaud Motorola to do – on its Flip type smartphones also.
Like Dex, Smart Connect * creates an office PC experience in seconds using only your smartphone: load your phone wirelessly, connect to a wireless keyboard and mouse and connect to a wireless monitor (thanks to Miracast).
The additional advantage of using a Flip type phone (such as the Motorola Razr 40 or the Razr 50, one of the best smartphones) is the possibility of changing the angle of the front camera without using a stand.
So yes, it could potentially replace an office PC or a thin customer at a very low price; Currently, the most affordable Motorola smartphone equipped with Smart Connect is the $ 250 Moto G stylus.
It is an exquisite device focused on business with a pen (like the Galaxy S25 Ultra), 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage on board, similar to what you will find on an average commercial laptop.
It is not very good for business, if you are Lenovo, the largest PC manufacturer in the world and owner of the Motorola brand.
This may explain why Lenovo was so shy on this subject, encouraging an initiate of Motorola to say to me: “Too true, we should scream more”.
I have not tested the G MOTTO 2024 motorcycle with Smart Connect, so I don’t know if the group stylus offers additional features.
Smart Connect: Use
I spent a few hours using Smart Connect for a number of tasks. Since this function connects to Miracast, it is compatible with Roku, Amazon Firetick and a burst of other molding boxes.
Of course, many televisions and an increasing number of smart monitors also integrate Miracast.
Walmart had five (yes, five) 4K TV less than $ 200 at the time of the editorial staff, which can all be connected wirelessly to a miracast compatible smartphone.
The fact that almost all are a 43 -inch model is good news and it is my favorite screen diagonal for a home work configuration.
Connection to a screen via Smart Connect could be simpler. I used a Motorola Razr 40 Ultra to assess its performance as well as an omnipresent standard Firestick Amazon.
You don’t need to be on the same network: on a test smartphone, I clicked on the Smart Connect icon and was presented with a step -by -step tutorial to connect.
You just need to do it once and once you are, the user interface is as intuitive as that of Dex de Samsung.
There is an application tray listing all the applications installed on the smartphone and a real office; I used a 27 -inch 5K monitor of Japannext to test Smart Connect, which was impeccable.
This panel has two speakers, a powered USB port and an HDMI connector – among others.
I like you can use the screen of your smartphone like trackpad although you cannot slide and place or move windows.
The only thing that became immediately apparent was the cursor’s gap; I had a hard time and I think it will be a major problem for most users.
I do not think this is due to the performance of the smartphone processor and may be due to Wi-Fi connectivity (remember, the smartphone connects to the Amazon Firetick via Wi-Fi).
There have also been others (minors): I could not make incognito work on Google Chrome Browser, and scrolling a page does not work with two fingers.
I used two Bluetooth keyboards with integrated touchpads for my short test, supplemented by the RAZR mode in touchpad.
- My faithful Sony BKB-50 that I used for a while alongside the fantastic Sony Xperia Z4.
- A generic Bluetooth keyboard of size A5 that you can buy for less than $ 20 on Amazon.
I had trouble finding an affordable Bluetooth keyboard and mouse beams; They exist but they are rare and, like the Logitech MK850, expensive.
Lenovo has only one keyboard and Bluetooth mouse combo and $ 61.99, this is about twice the comparable and not Bluetooth units.
This is simply summed up to demand and provide: not enough customers want keyboards and bluetooth mice, so manufacturers do not ship them.
So what about Samsung Dex?
Dex appeared for the first time on the Galaxy S8 in 2017 and was a must of most flagship products (Galaxy S, Plus and Note) but only on a model, the A90 5G, launched in 2019.
If you are looking for a dominant Dex smartphone, luck. Why such a prolonged strategy for such a changing functionality? I contacted Samsung Mobile to try to find out, but I got no answer.
Our colleagues from Tomsguide have the same theory of reason why Dex is not drums: “Make it too good, means that it actively eats in the capacity of a business to sell you other things”.
Google rumors bringing an office mode to Android have existed since Fuschia’s time when the dreams of a unified operating system to merge Chromeos and Android entered Overdrive (it was in 2016 for the record).
Such a platform would allow Google to deliver a unified platform and compete more effectively with Microsoft in the corporate ecosystem.
It would be, in fact, a thin much more versatile and resilient customer who only needs an instructor, a keyboard, a mouse and a wireless load quest to replace computers.
Now, if someone could conceive of one or the other of the elements below, it would be much appreciated
- A device that merges a portable instructor, a miracast adapter, a keyboard, a battery, a touchpad and some connectors
- A double -use laptop that can be powered by the main processor or a smartphone
* Smart Connect is much more capable, however, beyond the scope of my article. Lenovo declares that he
Unite several devices, allowing effortless tasks through Motorola phones, Lenovo, PC and TVS tablets.
Provides secure connectivity for easy sharing of files, access to mobile applications on PCs and management of telephone notifications without distractions.
Improve productivity by modifying documents, streaming applications and sharing notes on devices.
