Google Pixel 8 (Pro): Support for external monitors is enabled

The Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro(our test) offer a well-rounded overall package and exciting AI features. Now both smartphones are finally getting support for external monitors via USB-C. Will this mean a desktop mode in the style of Samsung DeX?

Google Pixel 8 (Pro): Android update brings DP Alt mode

Shortly after the release of the Google Pixel and Pixel 8 Pro, resourceful developers discovered the option of using the smartphone’s USB-C port for image output on external monitors in the software. However, DisplayPort Alt mode has not yet been enabled.

Google has now released the second beta of Android 15 QPR3 and added precisely this feature, as our colleagues at AndroidAuthority have discovered. According to them, image output to external displays will be activated by default in the software with the new OS update.

If you connect one of the two current Pixel smartphones to an external monitor, a pop-up appears with the “Mirror display” option, which allows you to forward the image playback to an external display via USB-C or using a USB-C to HDMI adapter.

By default, only the smartphone display is mirrored on the monitor. However, there is an option in developer mode that can be used to force desktop mode. According to AndroidAuthority, this allows you to start image playback in a desktop mode reminiscent of ChromeOS and Samsung DeX and navigate in a similar way to a PC or Chromebook.

Introduction with Android 15?

However, the desktop mode currently still lacks features, but AndroidAuthority assumes that Google could release this mode with Android 15 and the upcoming Pixel 9 model series. The function may also be included in the final version of the Android 14 update, which is expected in June 2024.

Or Google could roll out DP Alt Mode as part of a Pixel Feature Drop, which is constantly adding new functions to Pixel devices. The most recent drop on March 5 included new features for Call Screening and the Circle to Search function, for example.