A charging dock is quickly becoming one of the most popular accessories users wants to buy for their smartphones, now as phones are getting smarter than ever these simple charging docks are quickly evolving into what Samsung calls a Smart Dock. Samsung recently launched a Smart Dock compatible with the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S3 which allowing users to turn their smartphones into mini desktop computers.
This particular dock that we’re reviewing includes an HDMI port, three USB 2.0 ports, a 3.5mm stereo audio jack and a microUSB port to charge the phone of course. These connectivity options will allow you to connect your phone to a TV or monitor via the HDMI port, connect an external keyboard, mouse and even external storage via the USB ports, connect external speakers via the 3.5mm audio jack while the phone is being charged by the microUSB port.
Instead of the dock you could get separate MHL, OTG, AUX and other cables to fulfill the purpose but the dock makes everything so simpler. It’s so small and easy to carry, has a beautiful design and is very simple to use. In short the extra price gets you a much better product. Also as far as compatibility with devices is concerned the dock will work seamlessly with the Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy S4 but with the Galaxy S3 it won’t be able to power a USB drive.
The Smart Dock also has a full software overlay displayed on the device connected that displays the weather and other details similar to what we get on Motorola’s docks. I’ve been using the dock to mirror my Galaxy S4 on my TV for a few days now and the display quality is splendid, there is little to no lag while browsing and movies and other media played have exceptional quality.
The Smart Dock isn’t for everyone though, most casual users will be put off by somewhat low app compatibility and the fact that most if not all Android apps work better with the touchscreen than a keyboard or mouse. I consider the Smart Dock a niche item which will be very useful to those who need a tiny computer in their pockets that has the ability t0 turn into a proper desktop.
A short note though, if you’re planning to use the Smart Dock with a cover make sure you use the official Samsung ones, I tried using it with my third party leather cover on my Galaxy S4 and it was a pretty tight fit so I took the cover off.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S3 Smart Dock is now available for purchase for just $ 83 which is excellent value in my opinion.
TechDeville gives the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S3 Smart Dock 4/5 stars.
No comments:
Post a Comment