Turning the Galaxy Tab S7 into a PC monitor is amazing: how to do it and all its functions

The Galaxy Tab S7 and S7 + have begun to be updated in Spain to Android 11 with One UI 3.1, the latest version of Samsung’s customization layer. Beyond all the general improvements to Android 11 and specific to Samsung’s customization layer, this update includes a feature that is currently exclusive to this tablet.

It is about the possibility of turning the best Samsung tablet into an external monitor for your computer, a feature that we really wanted to try and that as the feature has arrived in Spain we have not been able to resist taking a look at it.

Second screen is a spectacular feature

It is not that the possibility of converting a tablet into an external monitor is a new feature, and it is that for years we already have applications capable of doing it. In its latest versions, Apple introduced Sidecar, which was the first official solution that turned a tablet into an external screen of a Mac computer. Samsung has created something similar to its Galaxy Tab S7, but much more compatible when working with Windows computers.

To be able to use this function you need to update your Galaxy Tab to Android 11 with One UI 3.1, while your computer all you need is to have Wi-Fi active and be on the same network as the tablet. In my tests I have used my desktop computer, and although you can be connected to the internet by Ethernet cable, if you do not have active Wi-Fi it will not work.

The first step to follow is to open the quick settings panel on the tablet. Among all the options will appear a so-called «Second screen». We click on it, and if it is the first time we do it, it will ask us to update the function. The tablet will restart and we will be ready.

When you press, a screen will appear indicating that we can connect to the computer by following the steps indicated. At the bottom we will also have two connection mode options, being able to choose:

• Draw / play (fastest answer):A mode that is optimized for the lowest possible latency, although it does not achieve a high frame rate.
• Video (smoother playback):
  This mode prioritizes that we have as smooth a transmission as possible (up to a maximum of 60 images per second) without prioritizing latency reduction.

In both cases, the resolution is limited to FullHD resolution (1920 x 1080) and a maximum of 60 images per second.

As indicated on the tablet, if from the computer we press the Windows and K keys simultaneously, a side menu will appear to connect to the devices. If the Galaxy Tab and the computer are connected to the Wi-Fi network, it should appear here.

One of the small flaws is that when using multiple monitors we don’t use the full aspect ratio of the tablet, having two small black stripes.

When we press we see an optional button that if we mark it, it will allow us to use practically all the tools of the Galaxy Tab S7. In addition to acting as a monitor, this tool extends the functionalities to be able to do:

• Touch screen operation.
• Touch pen with the Spen, being able to draw in image editing and photo retouching applications.
• Using the connected keyboard or mouse. If you have the official cover with keyboard and mouse you can use the keyboard and trackpad as if they were from your computer.
  • The trackpad does not support multi-touch gestures.
• Audio output: Once the Galaxy Tab is connected as an external monitor, we can use its speakers as computer speakers.

After accepting, in addition to all the possibilities that we have mentioned, from the Windows settings we can choose the behavior that we will have on the Galaxy Tab S7, being able to act as a second independent screen, as a replica of the main monitor or use the Galaxy Tab S7 as single computer monitor. If we use the monitor screen and the Galaxy Tab S7 we can choose the location of each screen, as well as change the scale of each one independently.

Without a doubt, this feature is the biggest change that the Galaxy Tab S7 integrates in its update and we hope that as the rest of the models are updated to Android 11 they will also receive this function that would give a lot of added value to products like the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite .

The entry Converting the Galaxy Tab S7 into a PC monitor is amazing: how to do it and all its functions appears first in The Free Android.