DEX on plus Tab S6?

[markyboy81]

Is it possible to connect the tablet to a PC using just a USB C cable in order to get DEX to work? I connect it up and nothing happens. This works with my Note 9 - am I doing something wrong or is it just not possible without extra hardware with this tablet?

 

[SpookDroid]

DeX on PC is not supported on tablets.

 

[markyboy81]

This is a shame and the cynical person in me thinks that this is a more a ploy to get people to buy extra hardware rather than a technical limitation.

 

[SpookDroid]

You can go the conspiracy theory route... or you could go with the 'best use for the device' route. On a phone you can't run standalone DeX because, well, the tiny screen makes it pretty pointless. On a tablet, however, the screen lends itself more for a standalone use. When it comes to powering DeX on a computer screen, the phone is the 'best case' for that, since it's usually more handy and people might tend to use the tablet instead rather than the computer if available.

 

[markyboy81]

It's not really a conspiracy, it's a well known fact that companies, including Samsung don't include the necessary accessories in order to get the customer to spend more. Think fast chargers, under specced USB C cables, Apple pencil, and so on.

However, you make a good point and I need to look into using DEX as a standalone - at the moment I don't know the purpose of this, as I just thought the idea was to connect the tablet or phone to an external monitor.

It'd be nice if Samsung enabled the tablet to work via USB C - I hold out some hope given that the Samsung S9 didn't allow this and yet later Samsung phones do.

 

[French]

I'm a little late to this party, but @markyboy81 you mentioned "connect the tablet or phone to an external monitor". You actually can connect the Tab S6 while in DEX mode, to a monitor with an HDMI cable. Either a cable with USB C to HDMI, or a USB C to converter HDMI (stand alone piece) and a separate HMDI cable.

Or, you could use one of those small hubs that has power delivery, hdmi out, usb A, etc., and plug in wireless keyboard and mouse dongles. So you can hook it up to a larger screen via HDMI. It does not connect directly to the PC laptop like the phones can though.

 

[pajomota]

I'm a little late to this party, but @markyboy81 you mentioned "connect the tablet or phone to an external monitor". You actually can connect the Tab S6 while in DEX mode, to a monitor with an HDMI cable. Either a cable with USB C to HDMI, or a USB C to converter HDMI (stand alone piece) and a separate HMDI cable.

Or, you could use one of those small hubs that has power delivery, hdmi out, usb A, etc., and plug in wireless keyboard and mouse dongles. So you can hook it up to a larger screen via HDMI. It does not connect directly to the PC laptop like the phones can though.

You are absolutely right.

 

[markyboy81]

I'm a little late to this party, but @markyboy81 you mentioned "connect the tablet or phone to an external monitor". You actually can connect the Tab S6 while in DEX mode, to a monitor with an HDMI cable. Either a cable with USB C to HDMI, or a USB C to converter HDMI (stand alone piece) and a separate HMDI cable.

Or, you could use one of those small hubs that has power delivery, hdmi out, usb A, etc., and plug in wireless keyboard and mouse dongles. So you can hook it up to a larger screen via HDMI. It does not connect directly to the PC laptop like the phones can though.

Ok, so this is spooky. I read your post on the same day that I actually ordered one of those hubs - it's a Levin USB C hub and was around £16 from Amazon.
It works fantastically and means I can easily connect a usb keyboard and mouse as well. Only slight downside is that although the hub supports 4k, the highest output is 1080p - I think this is a Samsung restriction though..