This week’s video is about connecting your Android or iPhone to your TV using a USB port. Wi-Fi is not always the best way to connect. It can be weak, unreliable, unavailable, or even laggy in the case of online gaming.
While Apple requires video to pass through the Lightning port, Androids use USB-C (though older phones may use Micro-USB). Apple phones are more uniform, but Android phones differ by manufacturer, which is relevant when considering the different connections on the monitor/TV side. If you’re unsure, look up your specific model before you purchase a cable.
HDMI
Most modern Android smartphones support USB-C to HDMI via the DisplayPort standard. With this, a simple adapter enables USB-C to HDMI mirroring, so your higher bitrate videos and games will play without buffering and lag. You don’t need to go directly to the TV, though. You can dock your phone into a docking station like Nucleum, attaching Nucleum to your TV’s HDMI port.
Samsung DeX
Samsung created an absolute game changer in 2018 by announcing Samsung DeX, aka Samsung Desktop Experience. When the Samsung S line of phones, like the newly-released S23 Ultra, connects to a display via USB-C to HDMI, that display will have a window-like interface or a desktop mode. All apps are fully supported in this mode. Some users claim it works so well they reduced their phone’s everyday carry and simply find a monitor for DeX when they need more functionality. Motorola introduced a competitor to DeX, Readyfor, a few years ago. Another brand, REDMAGIC, has a desktop experience, but their killer app is console mode, which launches an easily navigable gaming frontend.
If your Android phone doesn’t support USB-C to HDMI, there are two other potential standards. MHL (mobile high-definition link) and SlimPort. MHL offers HD video and 8 channel surround sound, with devices available in micro-USB and USB-C. SlimPort uses the VESA standard to transmit data, able to output to HDMI as well as DisplayPort and legacy connections such as VGA and DVI. SlimPort uses lower power requirements, so you can connect your phone without as much battery drain. Some SlimPort adapters even have an extra USB port for connecting your charging cable.
Lightning Adapter
Apple users have fewer choices than their Android counterparts, not that it’s necessarily a downside. All connections are via Lightning. The digital AV adapter supports Lightning-to-HDMI. Apple also has a Lightning-to-VGA cable for legacy devices. Plug in your adapter and hook up the video out to your display. Done! Apple’s Lightning Adapters include an additional Lightning port so you can charge your device at the same time.
With all this covered, the final step is to connect our devices to the TV. Most phones will mirror right away, and the Samsung S line and Motorola ReadyFor devices will launch their desktop experience. It’s so simple, you might just bypass Wi-Fi altogether going forward. Next time you face a situation where you need to connect a phone to your TV, your videos won’t languish in buffering, and your games won’t lag. You’re welcome!
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0:00 Intro
1:31 HDMI
1:56 Samsung DeX
3:24 Lightning Adapter
4:07 Outro