Smartphones are becoming stronger every year, and growing numbers of individuals today are using them for lots of the jobs we had to rely on our PCs for. Navigating the world wide web, checking mails and texting family and friends around the globe can now be performed from these helpful small rectangles we carry about in our pockets.

Smartphone makers have been asserting that their devices can replace notebooks and PCs for quite a while, but we are now in the point where it eventually seems as though the hardware has caught up with these promises.

Since TechTnet's calculating editor, I have been sceptical about these promises, however with the coming of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, that includes a few pretty remarkable specifications, also DeX performance which enables the telephone to be hooked up to a screen (and mouse and keyboard) so it may be used like a conventional desktop PC, I had been intrigued. Could this really be a smartphone I can utilize for daily tasks instead of my PC?

I decided to learn by going an entire week with only the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 as my primary computer. Can I really be able to compose and operate utilizing the smartphone, or would I locate myself scurrying back into my own PC and booting up Windows 10 following just a couple of minutes?

The specifications

In my line of work I am fortunate enough to get to utilize powerful PCs and notebooks, and that I have very little patience for slow devices which take an age to boot up and load apps.

Having a desktop PC that boasts a 16-core chip, 32GB RAM plus an array of NVMe SSDs (not to mention two Titan XP graphics cards), in addition to a current Dell XPS 13 and MacBook Pro as notebooks, it might take an extremely strong smartphone for me to consider moving over.

This is the point where the Galaxy Note 9 comes from. Having an octa-core chip, 6GB of RAM along with 128GB storage, it is a handset which rivals many funding and midsize laptops concerning specs, and there is also a variant with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage room for much more power.

What brought me into the telephone was the big 6.4-inch display, making internet browsing, and writing emails, much simpler. I really hope not), after utilizing the Nexus 6 a couple of years back I simply can not return into a more compact handset, particularly for productivity.

The large size also allows for a 4,000mAh battery, allowing the Note 9 to undergo a complete work day (and more) without having a charge. The included S Pen stylus also intrigued me, because it meant I could take notes and rescue them digitally.

On the other hand, the Note 9 will include a massive $1,000 (#899/AU$1,499) price tag for the 6GB version. That is a hell of a great deal of cash for a telephone, and you'll be able to find some quite good notebooks for that sort of cash.

But -- and before I talk myself from this thought -- if you take into account the Note 9 as a telephone and a notebook replacement, then that price is not so daunting, since it implies you are purchasing one apparatus, not just two.

And since it is a phone that you have the choice of obtaining the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 on a contract, so that you don't need to part with so much money upfront -- be sure that you check out our Samsung Galaxy Note 9 bargains below for the lowest deals.

The software

What actually made me choose the Note 9 badly as a notebook replacement is Samsung's DeX attribute. This permits you to join your Note 9 into a monitor and utilize a Windows-like desktop computer to work on programs. While Samsung was toying about with DeX for some time, previous smartphones necessary to utilize the DeX Station heartbeat, which has been an extra cost.

While the Note 9 can utilize the DeX Station, now you can use the DeX port using a USB-C to HDMI cable. Using a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard you can then utilize the Note 9 to get a PC-like encounter. It is a far cheaper way to get the DeX performance, which can be just as well in the event that you've spent all your money over the Note 9.

But earlier I tried that strategy I chose to try plugging the Note 9 to a USB-C Dell hub I use on the job for my MacBook Pro. To my delight, it worked, together with the Note 9's screen appearing in my screen, along with my wired mouse and keyboard, which can be linked to the hub via USB, being realized by the telephone.

Thus far, I am fairly impressed with how simple it's to install and utilize the Note 9 as a PC replacement -- but can I really use it for an entire week rather than my reputable PC?

1 last note concerning this program. The Samsung Note 9 runs Android, and these days pretty much all software I run on Windows have a Android program variant, and when not, there'll be an alternate. These may not be fully-featured because their Windows variants, however for the jobs I will be using them mainly word processing, spreadsheets, instant messaging, emails and photograph editing -- they ought to be OK.

Additionally, while virtually every Android program should work in DeX manner, there are quite a few programs which are'DeX optimized', such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Adobe Photoshop Express, Gmail and Chrome. Software-wise, afterward, I'm fairly sure I could depend on the Note 9 for productivity.

The DeX experience

Together with the Samsung Note 9 linked to this USB-C hub, the DeX desktop looked on my screen. For anybody who is used a contemporary desktop operating system, for example Windows 10, the appearance of the DeX desktop will probably be recognizable. A bright, appealing, background wallpaper is used as the backdrop, and there are shortcut icons for My Documents, Gallery and Settings.

Clicking on My Documents opens a window like Windows Explorer, and from there I can see the documents and files saved on the Note 9; for people used to working to a Windows or Mac notebook, this really is a wonderful method of finding your files. You can not drag and drop documents from 1 folder into another -- you want to right-click the document and choose Move. It is a small niggle that highlights the restricted nature of this DeX experience when compared with a complete operating system like Windows 10, but for the most part I was quite impressed with the way DeX appeared, and how smoothly it ran.

From the bottom-left corner of the background computer is a button which opens your installed programs -- think of it such as Windows 10's Start menu. Double-clicking a program opens , together with the program appearing in a window which could be resized and moved on the DeX desktop computer. Again, even for Windows 10 users, this may feel quite comfortable.

The icons of available programs also appear across the bottom of the display, helping you to rapidly switch between them. I should probably mention here that my mouse and keyboard worked flawlessly, without hint of lag since I typed immediately or transferred my cursor across the monitor.

Together with the Dell hub appeared perfectly fine, even though a pop-up on the Note 9 itself indicated using a formal Samsung merchandise. I am able to know Samsung's justification (made to sell more things ( after all), but at my own time working with the Note 9 I did not find a need to buy any extra kit, though sometimes the pop-up advocating Samsung kit could backfire on the telephone.

Working on the phone

For my very first day of work with only the Samsung Note 9 I started writing this report. Therefore, after loading the Gmail program to look at my mails, and also the Slack program to stay in touch with my group, I started the Word program to start writing.

Both Gmail and Slack functioned well with DeX, also because they had been installed in my phone it meant I did not need to put in them sign in. Even though Slack not being a DeX-optimized program it did the work well, allowing me talk to colleagues considerably since the Windows 10 program does. Having the ability to have my email and Slack open in the background while I work is extremely important -- so far so good.

Launch the term program was when I became severely impressed, nonetheless, as it seemed and behaved almost exactly like the desktop Windows app. Through time, Microsoft Office's Ribbon user interface has grown , so its existence is strangely comforting and reassuring.

It meant I felt at home, and may start typing out happily, with tools and shortcuts where they ought to be. Another wonderful feature is because it is basically the term Android program (however with DeX service ), the document is synched into OneDrive, so that I could continue editing on a different device if necessary. Handy, but I frankly did not feel the necessity to change.

Obviously, since the Note 9 is an Android apparatus Google Docs also functions really well in DeX mode. So, as a desktop replacement, I had been very impressed really. The general DeX interface does a fantastic job of copying a desktop operating system, and although it does not feel quite as easy as Windows 10, for the large part it done nicely.

There were a few funny turns, together with the Slack program crashing after, but anybody who has ever used a PC may have undergone an unresponsive app or 2.

The Note 9 also threw a small tantrum when someone called me in DeX style, also I removed the telephone from the USB-C hub. I am guessing it has a slightly more polished experience when utilizing a formal Samsung DeX heartbeat, but I was rather impressed with the functionality, and that I found it effortless to utilize the Samsung Note 9 as a substitute for a desktop PC for the whole week.

Can Samsung Note 9 replace a laptop?

What struck me about utilizing the Samsung Note 9 as a replacement for the PC was well it emulated a desktop PC. By plugging it to a hub and track, I managed to work with a mouse and computer keyboard onto a huge display at my own desk.

But, I regularly use a laptop when traveling, so can the Note 9 readily replace that too? The problem here is that when using the Note 9 when traveling I am not going in order to utilize a bigger display, or a mouse or keyboard, as I do in my desk. Here, the pressure is about the Note 9's hardware .

As I mentioned previously, the huge screen of this Note 9 helps if it comes to browsing sites, tapping out mails and viewing media, and also for lots of people our smart phones have replaced notebooks for a lot of these jobs.

However, while the large-screen Note 9 is good for all those tasks, what about for taking down notes and composing posts, which I frequently do on my own notebook at media events? The onscreen keyboard is big enough to form short posts and mails on readily , but it can not compete with a notebook keyboard for more pieces.

1 choice is to use a Bluetooth keyboard, which is something that I could consider later on. It is just another thing to carry around (and maintain billed ) however, so I am more interesting in the way the included S Pen stylus performs.

That simple fact that it is saved in the body of this phone (and may be ejected using a drive ), is an extremely wonderful feature, especially since I do not wish to need to carry around more easily-lost things than I want to. With the pencil, a menu appears allowing me to scribble quick notes and save them into the apparatus within my awful handwriting.

It is easy, and it means I do not have to take a notepad around with me, but it is not quite what I am after -- I need something which may turn my scribbled notes into editable text I can open into a word processor.

Luckily, with a little bit of digging around and experimentation, I discovered that the Note 9 can do this too. Opening up the term program and making certain that the Samsung Keyboard was chosen (I cheekily left Google's Gboard keypad the default option , having come out of a Pixel XL)I managed to compose words with the stylus, and the Note 9 did an excellent job of converting exactly what I had written into editable text and adding it into the Word doc.

Considering how dreadful my handwriting is, I was impressed. It is not quite as fast as scanning on a full size computer keyboard, but it's quicker than utilizing the onscreen keyboard. There is not a huge quantity of space to compose on the display, however the Note 9 transforms the text quickly and provides you with more space to compose as you proceed.

You might have to slow down your rate of writing down somewhat, but it worked quickly and -- most significantly -- it was fairly accurate. I discovered that not composing joined-up assisted, and also that the program would sometimes mistake a complete stop for a comma, but it was shown to be a speedy and efficient means to take notes, which I can then edit once I returned to my desk.

Contrary to using the Note 9 as a desktop replacement, that emulated the expertise of working on a desktop PC so nicely I did not need to alter the way I worked, it requires more time to adapt with the Note 9 as a notebook replacement.

Crucially, however, with all the added S Pen stylus and true handwriting recognition, '' I did not mind adapting the way I worked.

RIP my PC?

Therefore, after a week of working on the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, am I prepared to ditch my PC and notebook? Not very, particularly in regards to my desktop PC. That is mainly because I am always going to need a PC to play games -- and I am not speaking about portable games, although I'm now hooked on this Lemmings reboot. However, for the daily tasks of composing, editing and emailing, I could see myself thankfully with the Note 9 in DeX mode. I was severely impressed.

I am going to try out to stick using the Note 9 for composing notes once I go to events and meetings. It is going to take a time to fix with no laptop and I certainly will not be eliminating this trusty old workhorse just yet -- however, the advantages of not having to lug around a notebook are extremely tempting.

Thus far I am very impressed with my period utilizing the Note 9 as a PC replacement. I didn't feel I would be seriously contemplating utilizing the smartphone as my primary work computer once I started this experiment -- but I'm.

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