High-end Android smartphones are already powerful enough to serve as the only computers for most users. However, many devices still lack the software features needed on desktops. This may change in the future: Google is reportedly working on a feature called Desktop View.
Image source: androidauthority.com
Desktop mode when connected to external displays is already offered by Samsung and Motorola smartphones, but not by Pixel. Google is now likely testing a new Desktop View feature for Android 16, which will provide access to this mode on more smartphones and tablets. Some semblance of a desktop mode already exists in current versions of Android, but in its current form, this feature has a narrow specialization: it is enabled in the developer options and is designed for testing the behavior of applications in arbitrary windows.
The situation may change with the release of Android 16. In the third beta version, the authors of the resource Android Authority found strings indicating that the option “Enable desktop features” will soon appear in the developer options. They will work either on external displays or also on the device itself. In the platform code, this mode was called Desktop View, but before the release in the public version, the name may change.
As for the capabilities of the mode, they will probably expand significantly. In its current form, the basic functions of Android in desktop mode are significantly inferior to Samsung DeX, not to mention full-fledged desktop operating systems. So far, the product from Google lacks a graphical shell and a full-fledged taskbar. If Desktop View testing has just begun in the third beta version of Android 16, then the release of a full-fledged desktop mode should not be expected earlier than Android 17.