We have seen multiple iterations of PC-like experiences powered by smartphones. “Convergence” was a main feature of Ubuntu for smartphones and tablets but that software has since been discontinued. Samsung tried its hand at this with DeX last year, the DeX Station accessory enabled Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 owners to access Android apps on a larger monitor. Samsung is now taking this implementation one step further with Linux on Galaxy.
Linux on Galaxy will enable users to run desktop software on their Samsung Galaxy flagship smartphone with DeX. The company mentions that the device will be able to “run multiple operating systems,” which basically means that it will be capable of running multiple Linux distros such as Arch, Ubuntu, Debian, etc.
Samsung has posted a video demonstration of Linux on Galaxy which shows core Linux programs such as Terminal, Eclipse, GIMP, and Firefox installed on DeX. The company says that this software is currently in development but interested users can sign up for notifications about its progress here.
Linux on Galaxy doesn’t rely on emulation or virtualization so it’s possible that only that Linux software which has been compiled for ARM will work with this software. Those who are interested can now sign up for notifications about Linux on Galaxy, the signup page says that Linux on Galaxy has the same Linux kernel “that powers the Android OS.”
