Yes, it’s real: You can replace your PC with your smartphone. Here’s how.

Android started out as a mobile operating system, but over the years, it became much more. Part of that vision was realized when Google killed Chromebooks in favor of Googlebooks. You actually don’t need one of these to get a similar desktop experience. In fact, you can replace your laptop or PC with your Android phone now.

Okay, before we dive too deep, you should know that Android’s desktop mode doesn’t work on all Android devices. But it is compatible with many of the most popular handsets in the United States, including new Samsung phones with DeX and Google Pixel phones with Android Desktop Mode.

Samsung DeX is more refined than Pixel’s Android Desktop Mode.

To use desktop mode on Android, you’ll need several things:

Computer monitor with either