One UI 8 transforms Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7 into powerful pocket workstations

What you need to know

• The Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7 now feel closer to full desktop workstations thanks to major DeX and Now Bar enhancements.
• The update adds home screen widgets, a one-tap full-screen button for apps, and the option to pin apps to the taskbar.
• You can also get Google Finance stock alerts without unlocking your phone, plus next/previous buttons for smoother read-aloud navigation.

Samsung has pushed a major One UI 8 update to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7, bringing notable upgrades to DeX and the Now Bar that aim to turn these foldable phones into full-scale workstations.

A week after its Korean debut, Samsung's supercharged DeX experience is now landing in the U.S. The upgrades, as noted by Android Authority, push the feature closer than ever to a full desktop environment.

The big new perk is home screen widgets in DeX mode, which is a long-requested feature for users of Samsung's foldable phones. Just like on your phone, you can finally pin widgets to your desktop.

Furthermore, Samsung has improved app handling in DeX with a new one-tap full-screen button on every app window, so you don’t have to dig through menus anymore. You can also pin any app to the DeX taskbar for quick access.

Behind the scenes, Samsung tucked new keyboard and mouse options under Settings > Connected Devices > Samsung DeX. This change lets you fine-tune keyboard and mouse behavior on external displays, including when the on-screen keyboard pops up.

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DeX is back on track

This update is one of the biggest leaps DeX has seen in a long time. After moving to Google’s Android Desktop Mode and frustrating power users who thought it was a downgrade, Samsung has now fixed those issues by adding several long-requested upgrades.

Alongside the DeX upgrades, the update adds fresh tricks to the Now Bar. Now, you can pull end-of-day stock alerts directly from Google Finance without ever unlocking your phone. The Now Brief panel also gets a boost with new “next” and “previous” buttons next to play/pause.

DeX still isn’t a perfect match for the classic version, but it’s closing in fast. With Google now actively improving Android Desktop Mode, those upgrades will roll into DeX too.