The iPad Stage Manager is a good start, but it has a lot to learn from the Samsung Dex

A. WWDC 2022, Apple has announced the latest version of iPadOS 16 and its other operating systems, including macOS Ventura. One of the notable improvements to iPadOS is the upgraded multitasking feature. The two main additions are Full External Display Support and Stage Manager – a window interface that brings iPadOS closer to the desktop experience than ever before.

I’ve been sitting at my desk since I bought my M1-powered 11-inch iPad Pro, seeing very little use because it gives me very little reason to carry it on my phone or laptop. So I decided to take the iPadOS 16 developer beta to see if Stage Manager could change that. My conclusion? Stage Manager is certainly a step in the right direction, but it still has a lot to learn from the Samsung Dex.

Relevant: Everything you need to know about Apple’s iPadOS

Arguably, the best feature of the iPadOS 16 is the full support for external display, which is molded together with the stage monitor feature. Prior to this update, we had screen mirroring mode. Now, as soon as the stage manager kicks in, the external display mode shares some similarities with macOS.

But Apple’s reluctance to bring a full-fledged desktop mode IPad Still clear. Take, for example, the circular iPad cursor designed for the magic keyboard. Although the magic keyboard virtually transforms the iPad into a laptop equivalent in terms of form factor, the cursor is not very similar to the desktop. The iPad version is a nice implementation to make it easy to navigate with the trackpad, in fact, snaps the cursor over clickable elements.

However, with full external display support, Stage Manager is limited by this implementation of a cursor. You do not need to snap the cursor on a large display and its intuition for tablet use is reversed when you are trying to use it on a large display. The Samsung Dex, on the other hand, provides a run-of-the-mill pointer-shaped cursor that works well for a desktop environment. Point Dex.

Read more: Apple is still considering the iPad as a second-class citizen

Resizing Stage Manager app “Quickly”

Another problem with Stage Manager mode is how resizing the app window works. This is just a small step from the slide-over and split-screen interface we’ve used in iPadOS. Windows doesn’t resize them as you want but instead Snap into pre-defined shape ratios. Fortunately, there are more options than ever before, including window sizes. It’s not very limited, but not like freely resized windows.

Stage managers also seem to be using less screen real estate. When normal split-screen mode takes over the entire screen, the stage manager leaves some margins. The space on the left goes to the currently available apps Below is the dock, which is open if you do not drag the bottom edge of your app to full height. There are margins to compensate for the other two at the top and right. All in all, you will lose quite a bit of screen space.

On the other hand, the desktop-style on the Samsung Dex has been resized, which means you can resize supported apps like the desktop window. It will also give you the option to force resize unsupported windows. Okay, Android apps have historically had to run on a much more odd shape ratio than the iPad app. However, in the desktop environment such limitations seem out of place.

Deep digging: Everything you need to know about Samsung Dex

Apple M1 juice up to the maximum

Apple’s Limited Stage Manager and M1-powered iPads have full external display support – iPad Pro 2021 (11- and 12.9-inch), and IPad Air (5th generation). It lags behind the One Ton model, but notably the USB-C-Sporting iPad Air 4 and IPad mini 6. This was Initially blamed Virtual memory switches require an M1-exclusive capability and stage manager, but there is no official explanation from Apple yet. Stage Manager, in its current form, looks like it will run well on at least the previous generation iPad Pro models. Worse, Apple doesn’t seem to be taking full advantage of the M1’s hardware features.

It doesn’t look like the stage manager is still pushing the M1 to the maximum. Using Stage Manager you can have only eight apps on your external display, four of which are active. We know the M1 can do a lot more, and if it’s the RAM that limits it, virtual memory swap brings it closer to the base M1 MacBook Air at least in the case of multitasking. Throughout my use, I have tried to understand M1 exclusivity but failed. The current implementation hardware falls far short of expectations.

The point is – while Apple’s multitasking features may be a good reason to be M1-exclusive, it seems the company is leaving at least some performance on the table. Samsung Dex also has app limitations that vary by hardware. However, you could argue that all repetitions of Dex run on less capable hardware. So it would not be wrong for us to expect more from Stage Manager on the powerful M1 or at least, Stage Manager to support less capable iPad models.

We tested it: Apple M1 performance benchmark and thermal throttling

The Samsung Dex is a notch above, and the stage manager needs to catch up

Samsung has improved the Dex since its launch, and it’s good enough to be your desktop. It works not only with tablets but also with flagships Samsung phones. The iPad with Stage Manager, on the other hand, is, of course, a computer. It’s not just the kind of computer we’re used to. It works on its own and this is even more true with the iPadOS 16.

We’ve been following the concept of the iPad, especially the iPad Pro, for years now becoming a real laptop replacement. Stage Manager makes it a good computer, but it still doesn’t build the confidence you need to leave your laptop on your desk. On the other hand, Samsung Dex is coming very close to that point.

Dex even now has a wireless mode. This seems like a potential no-brainer feature for iPadOS, given how well Apple AirPlay does, although compatibility is a bit more limited. The stage manager adds a learning curve. This is another advantage for Samsung Dex. This is a much more familiar implementation because it mimics a traditional desktop experience.

Is DeX perfect? Of course not, but it’s much closer to the standard convertible computing setup than Apple’s early version.

Can my iPad Pro replace my laptop? Of course not. Not yet, at least. Even with Stage Manager, iPadOS is still very limited in multitasking methods. The dream is to have an iPad that kicks in a complete macOS-like mode, at least when connected to an external display. Until the iPadOS shuts it down, the Samsung Dex is going to be a good choice for convertible computing.

A different opinion: The iPad Air has convinced me that the post-PC world is here