Is it possible to connect a phone to a computer monitor? How to transfer an image from Android to a monitor
Today, the smartphone occupies a leading position in the domestic market. Almost everyone has such a device and uses it for their own purposes. Some people constantly go online, some use it as an e-reader, others for games. The capabilities of a smartphone have virtually no limits. Surely every smartphone owner has at least once wondered how to connect a smartphone to a monitor. After all, it’s much more pleasant to watch a movie or play an interesting game on the big screen.
This is quite simple to do, and there are several ways to display images from the device to the monitor. For this you will not need a lot of time and effort, as well as any special knowledge.
1. How to connect a monitor to a smartphone
There are several ways to display images from a smartphone on a monitor, or rather two:
- Via USB;
- Via HDMI.
I would like to immediately note that a USB connection directly to the monitor cannot be made. Therefore, you will need to have your computer turned on and install special programs and applications. In addition, the image on the monitor will slow down. Moreover, you will not be able to expand the image to full screen.
Therefore, the best connection option would be using an HDMI cable. In this case, the image will fill the entire screen, and without loss of quality.
1.2. Connecting a smartphone to a monitor via HDMI
To create this connection you will need a special adapter or adapter. It is worth noting that the adapter is slightly more expensive, but it has a special connector for connecting charging. This means that the moment you connect to the monitor, the smartphone will be charging. Thanks to this, you will not be limited in connection time, as with a regular microUSB/HDMI adapter, which does not have the ability to connect charging.
You can buy the required adapter or adapter in almost any electronics store or order it on a specialized website.
2. How to display an image from a smartphone screen on a monitor: Video
After purchasing the required adapter, you just need to connect the HDMI cable to the TV and adapter, and the other end of the adapter to the corresponding connector on your smartphone. After this, absolutely everything you do on your smartphone will be displayed on the monitor screen. If you have a modern smartphone model with a screen that supports Full HD resolution, then the picture quality on the monitor will be at a high level.
An old smartphone does not have to be sold on Avito or buried in the bottom drawer of the desk. The device can be connected to a monitor or turned, for example, into a mini-computer or media server. If your smartphone has OTG (USB On The Go) support and an MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link) port, then other laptops will envy the functionality of your “animal.” You can use a smartphone with a monitor or TV even with a broken screen, which otherwise would go straight to the trash (it’s better not to even find out the cost of replacing the screen in modern smartphones).
It all starts with USB OTG and MHL
Many smartphones from manufacturers such as Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi, Sony and LG are equipped with MHL ports and have built-in USB OTG support.
The MHL port actually adds an HDMI output to the smartphone with support for resolutions up to 1080p and 7.1 multi-channel audio, as well as the possibility of remote control of the smartphone via the microUSB port (usually the smartphone is charged through it).
USB OTG support makes it possible to connect your smartphone to various USB peripherals, including keyboards, mice, external drives, flash drives, and so on.
It’s easy to connect a smartphone with MHL and USB OTG to an external monitor (TV), and for comfortable control, connect a keyboard and mouse to the Android device.
A number of companies have released branded docks for their smartphones that support MHL and USB OTG, but they are usually quite expensive and only support branded smartphones.
Efficient and tireless Chinese companies offer universal docking stations for smartphones with support for MHL and USB OTG on the endless showcases of Aliexpress, GearBest and other online stores. Using such a station, you can easily connect a computer monitor to a smartphone via HMDI. There will be no problems connecting a modern TV. Even a device with a broken screen will find a “second” life as a media computer. If you connect a mouse and keyboard to your smartphone using USB OTG, then in conjunction with the monitor you will get a good multimedia computer based on Android with hundreds of thousands of applications and games available on the Google Play Store.
Modern smartphones do an excellent job of many tasks that previously required a computer. Therefore, it is not surprising that users are faced with the problem of connecting their mobile device to a large screen. For example, to a monitor or TV.
If you are also interested in this question, then you have come to the right place. Here you will learn how to connect your smartphone to your TV.
Connecting a smartphone to a TV via HDMI
If you want to display an image from your smartphone to a TV, the easiest way to connect is via an HDMI cable. When connecting via an HDMI cable, your smartphone must have a micro HDMI input (as in the photo below).
If there is such an output, then to connect your smartphone to the TV you also need a micro HDMI - HDMI cable (cable photo below).
One side of this cable needs to be plugged into the smartphone, and the other into the TV. After this, you need to switch the TV to the mode of receiving a signal from the HDMI cable.
As an alternative, instead of a micro HDMI to HDMI cable, you can use an adapter from micro HDMI to HDMI (photo of the adapter below).
This adapter must be connected to the micro HDMI output on your smartphone. After which the smartphone can be connected to the TV using a regular HDMI cable.
Connecting a smartphone to a TV via MHL
If your smartphone does not have a micro HDMI output, then there is another option that will allow you to connect your smartphone to your TV using the HDMI interface. Check out the technical specifications of your smartphone. It may support MHL technology (a technology that combines HDMI and USB interfaces).
If your smartphone supports MHL technology, then to connect to your TV you will need an MHL adapter from micro-USB to HDMI (sometimes this adapter is called an MHL cable, photo below).
This adapter must be connected to the micro-USB connector of your smartphone. After which the smartphone can be connected to the TV using a regular HDMI cable.
Connecting a smartphone to a TV via SlimPort
SlimPort is practically an analogue of MHL. Like MHL, this technology combines HDMI and USB interfaces. If your smartphone does not support MHL, then it is possible that it supports SlimPort. In this case, to connect your smartphone to the TV you will need a SlimPort adapter. In particular, this technology is supported by such smartphones as Nexus 4, Nexus 5 and the Nexus 7 (2013) tablet.
The connection process is exactly the same as when using MHL. You need to connect a SlimPort adapter to the micro-USB connector on your smartphone. After which the smartphone can be connected to the TV using a regular HDMI cable.
Connecting a smartphone to a TV via WiFi
There are also technologies for connecting a smartphone to a TV via WiFi. The most popular technology of this type is Miracast. It is supported by all Android smartphones, as well as most TVs with SmartTVs. In addition, there are special Miracast adapters (photo below). These adapters provide support to any TV with an HDMI input.
The process of connecting a smartphone to a TV via Miracast is a bit like the process of connecting two devices via Bluetooth. First, you need to enable Miracast in your TV settings and in your smartphone settings. After this, on your smartphone you need to select the TV to which you want to transfer the image and confirm the connection on the TV. As a result, the image from the smartphone will begin to be displayed on the screen of your TV.
In addition to Miracast, there is also WiDi technology. This technology completely replicates the capabilities of Miracast. Therefore, there is no need to consider it separately.
Connecting your smartphone to your TV via AirPlay
If you have an Apple smartphone (that is, an iPhone), then you can connect it to your TV using AirPlay technology. The principle of AirPlay is exactly the same as Miracast. Using AirPlay, you can transfer images from your smartphone screen via Wi-Fi, that is, without the use of wires.
But this technology is practically not supported by TVs. Therefore, you will most likely additionally need an Apple TV set-top box (photo below), which can work with this technology.
Read about how you can realize the long-time dream of any Android OS owner without any problems: How to connect a tablet to a TV or monitor
The question of how a tablet computer is connected to a TV is nothing complicated. Please note that although tablet computers now have a truly impressive diagonal, they still cannot replace a 50-inch real TV. Most manufacturers now provide the ability to connect tablet computers to monitors and TVs.
Connection via HDMI
To begin with, it is worth saying that the easiest connection option is to use an HDMI cable. This is done easily and simply, the cable itself is quite durable, so don’t be afraid to damage it. If you have the most modern and really expensive tablet computer, it may happen that it has a MiniHDMI port, but there is no cable for changing the port. You will need to purchase it separately either online or at one of the electronics stores in your city.
Plug one end of the cable into the tablet computer and the other into the TV. On the TV, you need to select a different operating mode, which will be marked in the Input selection list. A message about connecting the cable and another HDMI or something like that will appear. In principle, the video quality on a TV is even better, because we are talking about the fact that TVs were specially created for broadcasting, and the monitor is designed a little differently.
Connection via "Tulip"
Next, it is worth noting the ability to connect a tablet computer to a TV using “Tulip” wires, for which a headphone output is used, as well as another special connector. This method works quite rarely, and you will need to find your model in various thematic discussions on the forum, learn about the experiences and experiments of other people who tried to connect a similar tablet computer to a TV.
Docking station
If both of these methods do not work, you can pay attention to the fact that for some tablet computers, docking stations are specially produced, which are designed to ensure that the tablet computer is connected to a monitor, TV or computer. Let us note the fact that such devices and various cables are really not expensive. In addition, most of this equipment is still of fairly high quality, so you can easily get the best results from connecting your tablet computer to your TV.
If you are interested, you can find on the Internet exactly your tablet computer model and a full guide on how the connection occurs. Usually this is a simple task that is performed rather intuitively and without any prompts, but if you get lost and confused somewhere, you will be given support.
Why is this necessary?
Why would you even need to connect your tablet computer to your TV? Please note that if you, for example, decide to watch a movie, then it would be better to use the control functions of the tablet computer, because the built-in player on the TV is extremely primitive. Plus, you can play your games on the big screen, watch TV series, read books and just chat with your friends through the big monitor for entertainment or maybe it will be much more convenient for you when you are at home and relaxing. All this is really interesting and it is worth noting that usually it is the Android operating system that allows for flexible configuration of all parameters and convenient use of any technology, which does not take much time and does not take much effort.
Did you know that you can work on your phone like you do on a computer? It's pretty simple. You connect your phone to a monitor via HDMI, a mouse and keyboard via USB or Bluetooth, and you can enjoy easy control and a big picture. Here are two ways to work PC in phone.
Can you use your phone like a computer? It turns out it's possible, and it's quite simple. However, two basic requirements must be met. First of all, we must have a suitable phone with PC mode, and secondly, we must equip a suitable accessory to connect the monitor to the phone.
The times when the phone was used only for calls and SMS are long gone. Modern smartphones are very versatile and multifunctional devices. They have fairly efficient processors, tens or even hundreds of gigabytes of fast memory, advanced operating systems and modern wireless communications.
Of course, they still don't offer the performance of a good PC, but you can do more than just browse the web and send messages on your smartphone. We can easily play games, watch 4K movies and even work.
A smartphone can be a tool that can replace a laptop in simple applications. It has a relatively small display, but nothing prevents us from connecting a larger screen to it and running Word, Excel, a browser and other basic programs on it.
Writing text can also be convenient. We don't need to use a small touch keyboard. Nothing prevents your phone and keyboard from connecting wirelessly via Bluetooth. Some accessories have USB ports, so they even allow you to connect a regular wired keyboard and mouse.
In practice, this is very similar to working normally with Windows, Linux or macOS. In front of us is a keyboard, mouse, monitor or TV, and next to it there is the brain of the entire operation, that is, a smartphone. It does all the calculations and displays the Full HD image on the screen.
The ease of use in this case is much higher than performing the same actions on a small display and touch keyboard. And the most interesting thing is that we can start working outside the home or office and then finish it smoothly in PC mode. Simply connect the appropriate adapter or accessory to your phone and continue writing a text document, email, edit a presentation, or browse the Internet.
In other words, the phone's desktop mode can be useful, but you should know that it has many limitations. I'll write about them in a minute.
How to connect your phone to a monitor or TV and turn on PC mode?
When it comes to solutions based on popular smartphones, we have two of the most popular options: Samsung DeX and Huawei EMUI Desktop. Previously, there was also a third one - Microsoft Continuum, but, unfortunately, mobile Windows did not gain a foothold in the market. It's a shame, because it would be an interesting alternative for Android and iOS.
Samsung DeX
Samsung DeX is probably the most interesting solution for everyone, although of course not the cheapest. The manufacturer offers two types of docking stations “DeX Station” and “DeX Pad”
How to make a PC out of it? It's very simple.
We place one of these stations on a table, connect it to a power source, and connect it to a smartphone via USB Type C, which boots up automatically. Now connect your monitor or TV using a standard HDMI cable, mouse and keyboard to the USB A ports. The smartphone will switch to work mode and we can work with it like on a computer.
In PC mode, we have a system bar at the bottom like Windows, an application menu like Windows, and most programs open in separate windows. In other words, we are working on Android, but everything is designed in such a way that it most closely resembles the most popular computer operating system. There is even the option to play in PC mode, although not all games will support this feature.
Alternatively, we can use a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse that we connect wirelessly directly to the phone, and use the USB ports on the station to connect a USB stick or portable USB drive. Thanks to this, we can easily copy photos, videos or documents from the smartphone to the memory card.
Another option is to use your smartphone's touch display as a touchpad and keyboard. Of course, this is the least convenient solution, but useful in “emergency situations”.
Additionally, by using virtualization such as Citrix Receiver, VMware Horizon Client or Amazon WorkSpaces, we can run Windows on Android and use programs that are not available on the mobile platform.
Which phones have PC mode? On Samsung, these would be the Galaxy S8, S8+, S9, S9+ and Note 8. These are popular flagship models that have enough performance to provide a comfortable PC experience.
Huawei EMUI
Samsung's competitor Huawei also has a suitable offer for its smartphone users. In this case, PC mode works only on three smartphones - Huawei P20 Pro, Huawei P20 and Huawei Mate 10 Pro. These are efficient and fast phones from the company's flagship models.
The biggest advantage of Huawei's solution is that you don't need to buy a special docking station. All you need is a simple universal USB Type C to HDMI adapter.
If we have a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, just buy a simple adapter. On the one hand, we connect it to a smartphone, and on the other, to a TV or monitor. No external power supply or USB ports. We can't connect a flash drive or removable disk, but we can still use a keyboard and a wireless mouse, which we connect directly to the phone via Bluetooth.
If we need to use a keyboard and wired mouse or connect a USB drive, then we will have to buy a more expensive adapter equipped with these ports. However, this accessory is much cheaper than the Samsung DeX station.
As for how Huawei's PC mode works, it's similar to what Samsung offers. The interface is also modeled on Windows - we have a bottom system bar, an application menu and programs that run in independent windows.
Of course, the functionality is not exactly the same, because each manufacturer is trying to offer slightly different original ideas, but in fact we will be able to do all the basics. In Huawei EMUI desktop mode, we can use email, write text documents, access social networks, watch a movie, listen to music, send files, create presentations, browse websites, etc.
It is worth remembering that Android, even in PC mode, cannot run programs from Windows. Some apps are of course available in mobile versions, but the only real solution is to run Windows in a virtual environment or simply switch to a Windows laptop or PC.