Poll results: The smartphone edges out the PC
The latest flagships from Samsung and Huawei both feature methods to connect them to PC peripherals and use them as a PC. We asked our readers if they felt comfortable ditching the desktop and using their smartphone for all their computing needs.
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Modern flagship phones are becoming more powerful with each successive generation, and are now more than capable of taking care of most people's daily computing needs such as web browsing, multimedia and word processing. Now that the best of them can also connect to your keyboard and desktop monitor, it seems like they are even closer to usurping the traditional home PC.
Samsung uses its DeX dock to connect the S8, S8+ or Note 8 to PC peripherals, and the Huawei Mate 10 Pro doesn't even need a dock to perform quite effectively as a desktop. We asked you whether you would use your smartphone as your main computer and the results surprised us.
A narrow majority use their smartphone as their main computer, with people chiming in to confirm that they either very rarely or even never use a desktop PC. This phenomenon isn't just limited to users with the latest high-end phablets either, but some enthusiasts have barely touched a PC in years.
For the majority of users, a best-of-both-words situation may be approaching where phablets are powerful enough for all day to day tasks, and easy connection to desktop peripherals and smart home devices may render the classic old PC tower obsolete. Even laptops may find themselves in a disappearing niche as mobile powerhouses catch up to the mid-range notebooks in hardware.
Of course, many users that require powerful tech, such as hardcore gamers, video editors and so on, won't be able to fit all the hardware they need into their hand. At a near 50-50 split even among a community of mobile enthusiasts, it looks like the handset still remains more of a companion for the personal computer, but it is increasingly the main focus of the ordinary person's tech use. With devices like the Mate 10 Pro being easily able to connect to monitor, keyboard, and other peripherals, we could see the home PC sidelined even further.
What do you think? Are smartphones that can adapt to desktop use the future?
I certainly try to use my smartphone for as much as I can. I agree with Mark that my old eyes benefit from a larger screen. My work doesn't allow us to use only mobile. So I have a work smartphone and laptop. But smartphones have certainly become more useful with all of the apps. Heck you can even use Microsoft office on them now. The big issue is battery life and having plenty of power to get through the day.
a phablets great until you spend a few hours using it like a PC and battery life becomes non existent.. I have more than a few extra long charging cables,
then I'm thinking.. is a mobile truly a mobile if it's plugged in all the time..
Agreed Paul. If you need to have it always plugged in then that defeats the purpose of it being mobile. Granted there are external battery packs which exceed 10,000 mAh which help. I have one that I use for my tablet and phone and have one that's 6,000 mAh and two 3,000 mAh so I'm ready to keep my devices alive while on the go. Although that's not what I consider a perfect solution but it works.
I could not live with out a PC. Smart phones are great but they just do not cut it for true gaming. Watching videos on a phone with my old eyes sorry I prefer my 4k 27" monitor driven by a pair of NVidia 1080s. Sorry Razer even with you 120 frame refresh rate it does not do it.
I'm very interested in a phone that can be docked to offer a desktop experience. The problem I've seen with the existing ones is that they aren't universal docks. I'd want to be able to use the dock for 5-10 years and replace my phone that docks with it every 2-3 years, and not be tied to a certain brand.
my own digital footprint was created and now managed easily on mobile.. (preferably a 6" phablet)
but I do think there's a very important place for a smartphone that also includes desktop, lots of folks use both, there are no rules...
use what suits you best..
I've not had the need to use a PC for a number of years now. I don't play high resource games or editing. My Samsung tab s2 is adequate for office related and use my Bluetooth keyboard for typing letters etc, my devices are connected to my printer, and wireless SSD storage and easily connects to my TV or my 19" tv. I have a Samsung DVD/CD recorder that enables me to create and use CDs and DVDs.
Ironically my Samsung Gear IconicX Earbuds require a PC to update the firmware.....
Peace 🖖
The desktop PC has two real advantage going for it, unlimited power supply, and screen size/alternatives. If power computing's your life, it can't be beat. The passion for mobile, still outweighs that though. Both lifestyles are converging though.
I cannot see the home PC sidelined, too many people still want to use a device larger than a book!
It's a kind of dream. It will happen, but there will be the problem of lack of redundancy: you break your phone, you don't have your desktop computer anymore.