Samsung’s new Galaxy S21 smartphone will have better integration with Google products and services. This includes the Google Duo and Messages apps, as well as Google Discover feed that shows relevant content throughout the day. The Galaxy S21 is Samsung’s latest flagship featuring a refreshed OneUI design and even better SmartThings features.
Casting from a computer to a television has been the subject of software and hardware development for many years. In the early days, setting up a media server with network-attached storage was part of the process. It has become much easier due to ongoing work by various companies, such as Apple’s AirPlay, Google’s Chromecast, and Samsung’s Screen Mirroring. Samsung wants to make it easy for its customers to share content across devices to enjoy the impressive photo and video capabilities of its newest smartphones on the much larger displays of a TV.
Samsung worked closely with Google, the developer of Android, to make sure its newest smartphone and TVs will be compatible with Android standards, allowing better integration with Google apps when screencasting. It’s worth noting that Google Duo video call mirroring will only work on Samsung Smart TVs made after 2020, such as Samsung's upcoming 110-inch microLED TV, called 'The Wall', or older Samsung TVs that have Miracast support. Samsung also noted in its Galaxy Unpacked event that features may vary by model and some features may not be immediately available. However, there was a simulated view of how Google Duo would look on the big screen and if the quality is as good as the simulation, it will be a big improvement on viewing a multi-person meeting on a smartphone display. Screen Mirroring already exists on Samsung smartphones, but Google Duo was not as tightly integrated into earlier Samsung smartphones, so it should be a more seamless experience with the improvements coming in the latest devices. For those that do not have compatible hardware, a Chromecast device may be a low-cost way to achieve a similar big-screen video call.
How Screen Mirroring Works
Samsung has two native screen mirroring options, currently. The SmartThings app automatically locates nearby Samsung TVs and makes it easy to connect with a tap and mirror the smartphone display on the television screen. There is also Samsung DeX, which stands for 'desktop experience'. In this mode, the smartphone expands its user interface to fill the much larger space and different aspect ratio that is available on a television. The smartphone screen can be used as a touchpad or a separate mouse and keyboard can be connected. In effect, the smartphone becomes a low-power desktop computer that runs on Android, but that has a more familiar layout and works better with a mouse. Samsung DeX works best with Samsung Smart TVs made in 2019 or later, although it is also compatible with TVs with Miracast support.
Since Samsung’s Galaxy S21 is powered by the much faster Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, handling wireless transmission of the screen data will become much easier and more seamless than ever before. On the software side, Samsung and Google have partnered to ensure that Google Duo will work well with Screen Mirroring. While the simulated images may be overstating the quality a bit, it will depend largely on the internet connection speed of the viewer as well as the resolution and frame rate of other participants in the video call. This means the real-world experience will vary greatly. It’s just nice to have the option and to know that using a Galaxy S21 and a newer model Samsung Smart TV will make sure the user’s system is performing at its best.