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As you plug a streaming box into your TV and connect a game console, there’s another piece of tech you’re likely to miss—a phone dock. In fact, your phone may be the only addition to your TV you actually need.
Phones Are PCs, Gaming Consoles, and Streaming Boxes
Modern phones have the power to match many of our laptops, and a growing number have an interface to match. If you have a premium Samsung Galaxy or Motorola device, you might be carrying around a desktop mode without even realizing it.
Through this desktop mode, you’re able to launch any app on your phone onto an external display like your television. With a collection of streaming apps, your phone then effectively becomes a way to stream any of your favorite shows.
Many Android apps aren’t that different from their TV counterparts. After all, Google TV is just Android for TVs. And while Amazon may be transitioning to its own in-house operating system, asAndroid Policereports, Fire TV Sticks and Fire TV will still run Android until then.
You can even play mobile games on the larger screen, and they will adjust to match the resolution, making this a great way to play cross-platform titles likeDead Cellsthat also came to TV-based game consoles. Below you can seeTimelieon my Frame TV via Samsung DeX compared to the same game being played directly on my Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6’s internal display.
Through cloud gaming, you may even play many AAA console games on your TV via your phone. I’ve been thoroughly impressed bythe quality of GeForce NOW.
Some phones without a desktop mode can’t provide quite the same experience but are still usable. Phones like the Google Pixel 9 and the OnePlus 13 will mirror their displays when connected to a larger screen.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is a foldable smartphone that combines the functionality of a tablet with the convenience of a phone. It features a large, flexible internal screen that automatically picks up where you left off on the cover display.
Google Pixel 9
The Google Pixel 9 features a sleek design with a powerful Tensor G4 processor, 12 GB of RAM, and a vibrant 6.3-inch Actua display, making it ideal for capturing stunning photos and videos with its advanced 50 MP main lens and 48 MP ultrawide camera. With improved durability and a fast-charging all-day battery, the Pixel 9 is built to handle daily challenges while delivering top-notch performance and AI-driven capabilities.
OnePlus 13
The OnePlus 13 is a high-performance smartphone boasting a Hasselblad camera system with a 50MP sensor, a lightweight and intuitive OxygenOS 15 operating system, and a sleek, durable design. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor.
Google Is Now Developing a Desktop Mode
Samsung DeX has been around since 2017, first appearing on the Galaxy S8. It continues to be present as a feature on Galaxy S and Z Fold phones today. That’s millions of some of the best-selling phones, but that doesn’t mean everyone owns one. You’re still missing out if you’ve chosen a different brand. Fortunately, this situation may soon be improving.
Google is now actively working on baking a desktop mode directly into Android. This may increase the number of Android handsets that ship desktop functionality. At a minimum, we can expect it to come to Google’s own Pixel phones.
This addition would not only make Pixels and possibly other phones into viable PC replacements, but it would extend their usability as TV streaming devices as well.
All You Need Is the Right Hub or Cable
There are dedicated phone docks that can connect your phone to an external display using HDMI or USB-C. These are nice since they hold your phone upright, preventing it from getting banged up or from simply lying around making your setup look sloppy. I personally own thisCable Matters 5-in-1 phone dock.
Yet any standard USB-C hub can also work. Plug the USB-C port into your phone and use the hub to connect an HDMI cable leading to your TV.
Alternatively, you may have a USB-C to HDMI cable already lying around that also works, like the one available in theGoogle Store. Either way, it’s just a matter of switching to the right input on your TV if it doesn’t do so automatically, and you’re good to go.
For an optimal experience, you also need peripherals for controlling your phone from the couch. A Bluetooth mouse will get the job done most easily, though you can also pair a keyboard to simplify typing. For gaming, you also need a Bluetooth controller. I personallyview the 8BitDo Pro 2 as the perfect controller. It’s especially ideal for Android gaming, since there is a switch on the back that toggles between various input methods.
Determining which games have controller support on Androidisn’t a straight-forward affair, and part of the problem is that different games use different input methods.
Your Phone May Soon Replace All the Things
I’ve increasingly become a bit of a digital minimalist, allowing my phone to replace as many devices as possible to reduce how much tech I need to buy. My Galaxy Z Fold 6 has not onlyreplaced my PC, but this book-style foldable also serves as my preferred way to readebooksandcomicsalike. I canturn it into a Switch-like deviceby plopping it into a telescopic controller.
I have become abig fan of Samsung’s S Penand now use my phone as my notebook and journal. Unsurprisingly, my phone is also the center of my audio experience, be that asa portable MP3 playeror the way I control what’s playing on Bluetooth speakers.
Connecting to a TV is just the next extension of what a phone can be. We are living in the beginning of an era where we can have one computer that simply sits into different form-factors, and I am here for it. I already think of my phone less as a phone andmore of a pocket PC.
For now, using your phone as a TV works best on Galaxy devices, with certain non-folding Motorola phones like theEdge+ 2023being your next best option (the latter’s software, while less polished, is actually better suited for TVs). Yet even if you’re rocking a newer Google Pixel, try plugging your phone into your TV and see what you think.
