Science & Tech · Gadgets & EVs · 5 hrs ago
Termux and DeX bring Linux-style coding tools to a Samsung phone
A test explored whether a Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra could serve as a coding setup without replacing its Android software or rooting the phone.
Samsung DeX gives the phone a desktop-style interface on an external monitor, but it does not include a terminal or development tools.
Samsung ended its Linux on DeX beta in 2019, leaving DeX focused on Android apps.
The test used Termux, a free, open-source terminal emulator for Android, to add a Linux-style command line.
After installing it, the tester added Git, Node.js, Python and SSH and had a working set of development tools.
The setup avoids rooting the phone, though installing Termux from F-Droid involves sideloading an app.
The article says Google’s planned global enforcement of new sideloading rules could make that step harder after it begins in 2027.
A technology writer tested whether Termux and Samsung DeX could turn a Galaxy S26 Ultra into a practical coding setup.
Termux provided command-line tools including Git, Node.js, Python and SSH without requiring root access.
DeX displayed the phone’s command line on an external monitor in a desktop-style interface.
The test followed the end of Samsung’s official Linux on DeX program in 2019.
- Who
- Oluwaniyi Raji, a technology writer, tested the setup.
- What
- He paired Termux, an Android terminal emulator, with DeX to run coding tools on a Samsung phone.
- When
- The article was published on October 12, 2026; the writer says he spent a full day testing the tools.
- Where
- On a Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, using DeX with an external monitor.
- Why
- He wanted to see whether his phone could provide a development setup without rooting it or replacing its operating system.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
I spent a full day running Git, Node, Python, and SSH on it to see how close it gets to a proper dev setup.
Samsung released Linux on DeX as a beta running a modified version of Ubuntu 16.04 on select Galaxy devices.
Samsung ended the Linux on DeX program, which did not support Android 10.
Android Police published Raji’s account of testing Termux with DeX on a Galaxy S26 Ultra.
Raji installed Termux and set up Git, Node.js, Python and OpenSSH.
- Phone
- Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
- Terminal app
- Termux, a free, open-source terminal emulator for Android
- Development tools
- Git, Node.js, Python and OpenSSH
- Setup time
- About 10 minutes
- Previous Samsung Linux option
- Linux on DeX ended in October 2019
Sources
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