this post was submitted on 04 Mar 2026
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Your Pixel can now double up as a full Android PC with nothing more than a USB-C cable (www.androidauthority.com)
submitted 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) by snowdriftissue@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world
110 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

This has been hidden in developer options for a while now, but they're now releasing it officially. Limited to Pixel 8 and newer devices and no 4k yet.

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[–] kokesh@lemmy.world 4 points 2 hours ago

I've bought 1920x1200 IPS screen from temu. It is small, runs off the phone (if you want) power and works brilliantly. I'm using Windows RDP to use my desktop anywhere I want in the house. Works great for a few month, I had lower resolution for a couple updates, but the current version running on Android 17 Beta2 works just fine, at full resolution.

[–] MIXEDUNIVERS@discuss.tchncs.de 6 points 4 hours ago

i hope it comes to graphene os

[–] rodneylives@lemmy.world 1 point 2 hours ago

Yes, although it will be a full ANDROID PC.

[–] paequ2@lemmy.today 33 points 9 hours ago

That's cool... I guess...

What I really want is to continue to use F-Droid though.

[–] sonofearth@lemmy.world 11 points 8 hours ago

Imagine what the world could be if we had repairable Arch Linux Phones that can go full desktop mode just like the pixel rn. Aaahhh that turns me on!🤤

[–] hanrahan@slrpnk.net 11 points 8 hours ago

Samsung has been doing this with Dex for many years ffs.

[–] JTskulk@lemmy.world 30 points 13 hours ago (1 child)

Why say "Your Pixel can now..." when my Pixel can't? Why not say "Pixel 8 and newer devices can now...".

[–] LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world 14 points 11 hours ago

JTskulk, it is only your Pixel that can not. It works for older Pixels as well, but they specifically tied a few kill switches to your commonly known geo-locations and anyone who ties their shoelaces in a fashion deemed less mertiable.

[–] Jumbie@lemmy.zip 15 points 11 hours ago (2 children)

What is an android PC? Is that like a boat car?

[–] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 14 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago) (2 children)

All phones are PCs, this is just connecting external displays.

The shock is that it couldn't already.

[–] rodneylives@lemmy.world 2 points 2 hours ago

Mobile devices tend to be much less versatile than PCs, mind you, and on purpose, due to one of Steve Jobs' most misguided apprehensions, that it'd be a good idea to hide the filesystem from the user. (Cue someone somehow claiming that's Good Actually in three, two, one...)

[–] MrScottyTay@sh.itjust.works 2 points 11 hours ago (1 child)

It's more than just that, it's too slow a desktop OS like environment that's more suited for mouse and keyboard too. It's not just your phone screen on a bigger screen.

[–] quantumcrop@lemmy.today 1 point 9 hours ago

I guess the point is that phone hardware has been powerful enough to do it for a while. It's surprising that no big companies other than Samsung really put any effort into making it work software wise.

[–] snowdriftissue@lemmy.world 5 points 11 hours ago

Nah it's more like a toaster fridge

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 9 points 13 hours ago (1 child)

last thing I want is an android pc. well maybe not the last but nope

[–] NewNewAugustEast@lemmy.zip 4 points 11 hours ago (1 child)

I found these kind of features really useful. I had to submit some documents that I needed to do some work on before they got sent off. Everything was local, and with a keyboard/monitor/mouse I could have a browser, my email, and the document I was editing on the screen at the same time. So much faster typing and clicking.

I use my Steamdeck for that more often now if I just want a desktop while i am traveling if I don't want to bring the laptop. I just mount the phone as a folder, so even that is easy.

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 2 points 11 hours ago

I mean I get it kinda. I just have never really went for the smartphone thing. The laptop is basically my end all be all of technology. I too though love my steamdeck. I actually bought it as kinda of indulgence that I justified with the idea it would become my new laptop but I really like having gaming on a different device and just not worrying about it on my laptop.

[–] inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world 17 points 16 hours ago (1 child)

A PC where I can't install what I want? WTF is the point of that bullshit.

Thanks but I'll stick to my steam deck for my portable Linux computing needs where I can do what the hell I want.

[–] duncan_bayne@lemmy.world 14 points 16 hours ago (7 children)

There is no such thing as an Android PC.

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[–] zod000@lemmy.dbzer0.com 79 points 22 hours ago (1 child)

This used to be exciting stuff about ten years ago when some of us still thought Google was doing cool things.

[–] LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world 3 points 11 hours ago

I think it is just supposed to be Samsung DeX

[–] NewNewAugustEast@lemmy.zip 3 points 12 hours ago (1 child)

It didn't already do this? Why did I have phones and tablets that could do this already?

[–] SCmSTR@lemmy.blahaj.zone 7 points 11 hours ago

Google, a decade late to the party.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_DeX

[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 148 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (23 children)

Your Pixel

Limited to Pixel 8 and newer devices and no 4k yet.

Oh, so your Pixel, but not my Pixel.

[–] littlewonder@lemmy.world 2 points 9 hours ago

Yep. Pixel 7P over here really bummed that this isn't available because of poor choices Google made at the hardware level on this phone.

[–] masterspace@lemmy.ca 43 points 22 hours ago (2 children)

Let's be clear, for a feature that Samsung phones have had for a decade at this point.

[–] atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works 29 points 21 hours ago

This feature debuted on the Moto Atrix in 2011. There was even a version of Ubuntu that could use the feature.

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[–] umbrella@lemmy.ml 20 points 18 hours ago (5 children)

yay, locked down unrepairable computers owned by a us company that aids in war and surveillance!

[–] Xatolos@reddthat.com 1 point 10 hours ago (1 child)

We are talking about Android, not Apple.

Android phones can be user repaired and repaired by third parties without Googles permission.

[–] umbrella@lemmy.ml 1 point 10 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

depends on what you need repaired. and upgrades are a big no too.

[–] 100_kg_90_de_belin@feddit.it 4 points 16 hours ago (1 child)

It's either Linux phone or fighting in the trenches a losing battle against one the most powerful companies in history. Android offering a desktop mode is good if taken in the context of running an open source software on hardware you own.

[–] umbrella@lemmy.ml 1 point 11 hours ago

yeah, it's nice in that context.

in fact, it's something that could have been a thing for a while, they had phones doing this in 2012ish.

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[–] Reygle@lemmy.world 10 points 19 hours ago (2 children)

I have a 9a running Graphene and with a "usb C laptop dock" I can use it in "desktop mode", but I would warn that it is still EXTREMELY buggy and finnicky.

Still neat though.

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[–] Fetus@lemmy.world 34 points 23 hours ago (7 children)

So sort of like the Continuum mode that Windows Phones had, like, ten years ago?

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