Google has been working on improving Android UI for larger display devices. It’s already very optimized for tablets since Android 12 release. After that we saw some minor improvements in Android 13 regarding the flexibility of the UI and default Google apps.
Google also introduced proper desktop mode support for Android phones when connected to TVs via Chromecast or directly via USB cable. But Google’s Pixel phones never had display output via USB port. Even the latest Pixel 7 lineup don’t have this feature in HW level. So the proper desktop mode experience was missing from Pixel devices until we found the news.
According to a hidden source inside Google, we got the information that the upcoming Pixel 8/8 Pro will have Display Output directly from the USB port. The feature is called DisplayPort Alt Mode. That means you can alternate the phone’s screen and use an external monitor as the display of the phone. That was a long awaited feature that Pixel phones lack but other flagship phones offer.
Why is the Display Output via USB-C important?
To general users, it may not sound necessary but it’s a very useful feature to have. With the DisplayPort support, users can directly connect their phone with a bigger monitor and share the screen of the phone in the larger display for better visual experience. As we are sharing the display content through wire, there is almost no latency which is important for better experience in specially gaming.
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Other than that, directly sharing the screen to a bigger display means unlocking the limitations of a smaller display of a smartphone. Now we use multiple applications at a time like a Desktop PC without minimizing them. Here, the foldable phones like Galaxy Z Fold 5 stand out.
But the problem was we didn’t have an Android OS that matured to perform well on Bigger display. But since Android 12, the large screen Android experience has improved significantly. We also know that Google is working hard to implement a proper Desktop Mode in Android 14. This might be as good as Samsung’s DEX Mode.
With the DisplayPort Alt Mode, Google will put support to properly utilize their improved Desktop Mode of Android 14. Also we know that Google has been working on Pixel Foldable smartphone. Google also recently launched their first Pixel tablet. This improved Desktop Mode of Android 14 should be utilized on those devices.
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Rashidul Hasan, the founder and CEO of AndroidStory, is very passionate about technology.