Most recent Motorola smartphones offer Smart Connect, an Android desktop experience similar to Samsung’s acclaimed DeX.
However, unlike Samsung, it is available on a much wider range of devices and – one thing I can only applaud Motorola for doing – on its flip-type smartphones as well.
Like Dex, Smart Connect* creates a desktop PC experience within seconds using just only your smartphone: charge your phone wirelessly, connect to a keyboard and mouse wirelessly and connect to a monitor sans wires (thanks to Miracast).
The added advantage of using a Flip-type phone (like the Motorola Razr 40 or the Razr 50, one of the best smartphones around) is the ability to change the angle of the front-facing camera without resorting to a stand.
So yes, it could potentially replace a desktop PC or a thin client at a very low price; right now, the most affordable Motorola smartphone equipped with Smart Connect is the $250 Moto G Stylus 2024.
It’s an exquisite business-focussed device with a pen (like the Galaxy S25 Ultra), 8GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage, similar to what you’d find on an average business laptop.
This is not very good for business though if you happen to be Lenovo, the largest PC manufacturer in the world and owner of the Motorola brand.
This explains perhaps why Lenovo has been so coy about it, prompting a Motorola insider to tell me, “Too true, we should be shouting about it more”.
I haven’t tested the Moto G Stylus 2024 with Smart Connect so I don’t know whether the bundled stylus offers additional functionalities.
Smart Connect: In use
I spent a few hours using Smart Connect for a number of tasks. Since this feature connects over Miracast, it is compatible with Roku, Amazon Firestick and a flurry of other casting boxes.
Of course, a lot of TV sets and a growing number of smart monitors integrate Miracast as well.
Walmart had five (yes, five) 4K TV under $200 at the time of writing, all of which can be connected wirelessly to a Miracast-compatible smartphone.
The fact that almost of all of them are 43-inch model is good news as well as it is my preferred screen diagonal for a home working setup.
Connecting to a display via Smart Connect could be simpler. I used a Motorola Razr 40 Ultra to gauge its performance as well as a ubiquitous standard Amazon Firestick.
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 only need to do it one time and once you’re in, the user interface is as intuitive as that of Samsung’s Dex.
There’s an app tray listing all the apps installed on the smartphone plus a real desktop; I used a 5K 27-inch monitor from JapanNext to test Smart Connect, which was flawless.
This panel has two speakers, a powered USB port, and a HDMI connector – amongst other things.
I like that you can use your smartphone’s display as a trackpad although you can’t drag and drop or move windows around.
The one thing that became immediately apparent was the cursor lag; I struggled with it, and I believe this will be a major issue for most users.
I don’t believe that it is down to the performance of the smartphone’s CPU and may be down to Wi-Fi connectivity (remember, the smartphone connects to the Amazon Firestick via Wi-Fi).
There have been other (minor) ones as well: I couldn’t get incognito to work on Google Chrome browser, and scrolling through a page doesn’t work with two fingers.
I used two Bluetooth keyboards with integrated touchpads for my short test, supplemented by the Razr in touchpad mode.
- My trusty Sony BKB-50 which I used for a while alongside the fantastic Sony Xperia Z4.
- A generic A5-sized Bluetooth keyboard you can buy for less than $20 from Amazon.
I had a hard time finding affordable Bluetooth keyboard and mouse bundles; they do exist but they are rare and, like the Logitech MK850, expensive.
Lenovo has just one Bluetooth keyboard and mouse combo and at $61.99, it is about twice what comparable, non Bluetooth units retail for.
It boils down, quite simply, to demand and supply: not enough customers want Bluetooth keyboards and mice, so manufacturers don’t ship them.
So what about Samsung Dex?
DeX first appeared on the Galaxy S8 in 2017 and has been a staple of most flagships (Galaxy S, Fold and Note) but only on one A model, the A90 5G, launched in 2019.
If you are looking for a mainstream Dex-enabled smartphone, tough luck. Why such a protracted strategy for such a game changing feature? I reached out to Samsung Mobile to try and find out, but got no response.
Our colleagues at TomsGuide have the same theory as to why Dex is not being drummed up: “making it too good, means it actively eats into a company’s ability to sell you other stuff”.
Rumors of Google bringing a desktop mode to Android have been around since the days of Fuschia when dreams of a unified OS to merge ChromeOS and Android went into overdrive (that 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 enterprise ecosystem.
This would, in effect, be a far more versatile and resilient thin client that only needs a monitor, a keyboard, a mouse and a wireless charging dock to replace computers.
Now if someone could design either of the below, that would be much appreciated
- A device that merges a portable monitor, a Miracast adaptor, a keyboard, a battery, a touchpad and a few connectors
- A dual-purpose laptop that can be powered either by the main processor or a smartphone
* Smart Connect is capable of far more, though, beyond the scope of my article. Lenovo states that it
Unites multiple devices, enabling effortless task transitions across Motorola phones, Lenovo tablets, PC and TVs.
Provides secure connectivity for easy file sharing, accessing mobile apps on PCs and managing phone notifications without distractions.
Enhance productivity by editing documents, streaming applications, and sharing notes across devices.
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desire.athow@futurenet.com (Desire Athow)
