Samsung DeX vs Screen Mirroring: Which Should You Use on a TV?

Samsung DeX turns a Galaxy phone into a desktop-style computer on the TV, with windows, a taskbar, and mouse support, while screen mirroring simply copies your phone's display pixel for pixel. Both use the same USB-C to HDMI cable. For working on documents, DeX wins; for showing photos and videos to people on a sofa, a dedicated media cast is cleaner than either.

What Samsung DeX is

DeX is a second user interface built into Samsung's flagship phones. When you connect an external display, the phone can render a desktop on that display instead of a copy of its own screen. You get:

• Resizable, movable app windows.
• A taskbar with pinned apps and a start-style menu.
• Right-click menus, keyboard shortcuts, and a mouse pointer.
• Output up to 4K on recent models.
• The phone screen remains usable as a separate screen or as a touchpad.

Android apps run inside DeX windows. Most Samsung and Google apps resize well. Some third-party apps open at phone size and refuse to grow.

Which Galaxy phones support DeX

• Galaxy S8, S8+, and Note 8: yes, but only through the DeX Station or DeX Pad, not a plain cable.
• Galaxy S9 and Note 9 onward: yes, with any standard USB-C to HDMI cable or adapter.
• Every Galaxy S and Note flagship since, including Ultra and Plus models: yes.
• Galaxy Z Fold, all generations: yes.
• Galaxy S FE models: yes on most.
• Galaxy Z Flip: no on most generations.
• Galaxy A series: no. The USB-C port on these phones has no video output, so neither DeX nor mirroring over a cable is possible.
• Galaxy Tab S4 and later: yes.

Some newer models can also run DeX wirelessly to a Samsung TV or Miracast TV, but the wired route is faster and more reliable. The Samsung compatibility page lists individual models.

What screen mirroring is

Mirroring is the default when you plug a supported Android phone into a TV. The TV shows exactly what the phone shows: the same orientation, the same notifications, the same status bar. Rotate the phone and the TV image rotates with it.

It is simple and it needs nothing installed. It is also rough for watching content. Portrait apps become a narrow strip in the middle of a wide TV. Notifications appear on the big screen. Your screen timeout blanks the TV. Every swipe and menu is visible to everyone.

The third option: media casting

There is a middle path that is neither a desktop nor a mirror. The app renders a proper TV layout over the HDMI cable: full-width photos, video with playback controls, music with album art, all sized for a TV. The phone screen becomes a remote with thumbnails and controls. Nothing on the phone appears on the TV unless you send it there.

This works on any Galaxy that supports wired output, and on other brands too. It runs alongside mirroring, not DeX, so you do not need to touch the DeX settings. Details are on the app page.

Side by side

	DeX	Mirroring	Media cast (app)
Best for	Documents, email, browsing, multitasking	Quick demos, apps with no better option	Photos, videos, music for a group
TV layout	Desktop with windows	Copy of the phone	Full-screen media, TV-sized
Phone during use	Separate screen or touchpad	Same as TV	Remote control
Notifications on TV	In the DeX taskbar	Yes, all of them	No
Needs keyboard or mouse	Helpful	No	No
Setup	Prompt on connection	None	Install app

How to switch between DeX and mirroring

When you plug in a cable, most Galaxy phones show a notification asking whether to start DeX. If you tapped the wrong option or the phone remembers a choice:

To go from mirroring to DeX:

1. Swipe down the notification shade.
2. Tap the Samsung DeX notification, or open Settings, Connected devices, Samsung DeX.
3. Tap Start DeX or Use DeX when HDMI is connected.

To go from DeX to mirroring:

1. On the DeX desktop, tap the quick panel at the bottom right, near the clock.
2. Tap Switch to screen mirroring.
3. The TV shows the phone screen and DeX exits.

To control what happens next time, open Settings, Connected devices, Samsung DeX, and toggle "Start DeX automatically when HDMI is connected". With it on, every connection starts DeX; with it off, you get mirroring and a notification to switch.

DeX tips

• Phone as touchpad: in DeX, swipe down the phone's notification shade and tap "Use your phone as a touchpad" if you have no mouse.
• Keyboard and mouse: any Bluetooth keyboard and mouse pair with the phone and work in DeX. A hub with USB-A ports takes wired ones.
• Charging: a plain cable does not charge the phone. For a long session use a hub with a Power Delivery port and plug the charger into the hub.
• Resolution: DeX defaults to the display's native resolution up to 4K. Settings, Connected devices, Samsung DeX, Screen zoom and font, lets you scale the interface if text is too small on a large TV.
• Netflix and other streaming apps: many play inside DeX on Galaxy phones because DeX presents a copy-protected output. In plain mirroring they often go black. See the Netflix black screen guide.

When to use which

Use DeX when you want to work: writing, spreadsheets, email, a browser with several tabs, or a presentation you will click through with a mouse.

Use mirroring when you need to show exactly what is on the phone, such as demonstrating an app or a game.

Use the app when the point is the content, not the phone. Holiday photos, videos from the kids, or music at a party look better in a TV layout, with the phone kept private as a remote. It also handles the two things mirroring gets wrong most often: portrait photos with black bars and notifications on the big screen.

What to do next

If you have a Galaxy S, Note, or Fold, plug in a USB-C to HDMI cable from the cable guide and try both DeX and mirroring once so you know what each looks like. Then install the app for the evenings when the TV is for photos and videos. If you have a Galaxy A, the cable will not produce a picture; the app's Browser Cast feature over Wi-Fi is the route to the TV instead.