What is Huawei´s EMUI?
EMUI stands for Emotion UI and is a mobile operating system on Huawei phones operated by Android. The first EMUI or Emotion UI 1.0 was released in 2012 based on Android 4.0 and was firstly exclusive to the Chinese market. The software has evolved in the past 7 years making it a premium mobile experience. Now in 2019, some of the new EMUI 9.0 key features are the following:
- Launches apps faster
- Closes apps to save energy
- Huawei share for fast printing
- Turbo GPU 2.0 for gaming
- Overall faster software performance
- Greater A.I. capabilities
The EMUI user interface is upgraded constantly so update cycles happens faster for Huawei phone users. The updates helps older active Huawei phones to have the newest software according to each phone model. Despite the ban of Huawei ́s in the United States, the company is currently the 2nd most sold smartphone device in the world, surpassing Apple. (1)
What is EMUI Desktop Mode?
Huawei was determined to revolutionize phones and created the EMUI Desktop interface, also called Huawei Easy Projection. EMUI Desktop Mode first came into the market in late 2017 with Huawei ́s Mate 10 smartphone. Following this model and on, all the newest Mate, Ps and Honor series phones come equipped with Easy Projection PC mode.(2)
In 2019 Huawei implemented the newest software update, the EMUI 9.0 with wireless projection to display on bigger screens like TVs, PC monitors and on lapdocks like the Mirabook. Now presentations can be done remotely or wired, making it a complete different experience to display personal or work related information.
Connecting the Huawei EMUI Desktop to a Screen
The EMUI Desktop Mode or Easy Projection needs to connect through an HDMI dongle or wirelessly to project onto an external monitor. Once it’s connected, all the apps present on the phone will be projected on the monitor with the ability to work through. To enjoy a full PC experience on a bigger display, an additional keyboard and mouse need to be plugged. Also, there ́s an option to change from desktop interface to simple phone mode (phone mirroring) as shown on the picture below.
To move around the new interface, the mobile screen allows it to turn it into a touchpad. So in essence, it’s the smartphone turned into a touchpad. There are 2 EMUI new features presented in 2019 that overpass their competitors:
- Wireless Projection
- Messages and alerts hidden from the big screen
Thanks to EMUI Desktop, there’s no need to worry about messages popping up in the middle of a presentation. Any messages and incoming phone calls will be hidden from the big screen (3). Also, it is the first phone with wireless projection through miracast. In this mode, you do not need to buy a dongle to connect to a larger screen. The only drawback on wireless mode is that there may be a bit of delay when you are wireless. A good tip would be to link it through a cable if a presentation is going to be given.
Yet the whole point of having a Huawei mobile on this computer feature is to be able to work comfortably in a bigger monitor. It is troublesome to solely work with Huawei ́s phone screen and other peripherals are needed (mouse and keyboard). Another downturn of using the PC interface while connected to a bigger monitor is that you cannot charge the phone while it is connected.(4) This issue can easily be solved using a lapdock to work more adequately with mobility while charging your phone at the same time.
Bringing Huawei EMUI Desktop Mode onto a Lapdock
Firstly what is a Lapdock? It physically looks exactly like a laptop, with display screen and keyboard, but additionally a lapdock has a long lasting battery and it is lightweight. It is called a lapdock because it has no internal intelligence or memory and it’s powered through a smartphone on desktop mode. Lapdocks cannot work alone but hand in hand with a smartphone with PC interface, or in other words, with Easy Projection. When a lapdock and Huawei’s Easy Projection are connected, they work simultaneously projecting every single app and file from the smartphone into the lapdock’s screen. Having this device gives mobility and flexibility to work remotely from anywhere. The space generally used in a laptop to carry the CPU and fan, a lapdock uses this space to have long lasting battery.
The main benefit of projecting on EMUI Desktop mode on a lapdock is to go completely mobile without the need to rest in one place. On the other hand, if Huawei’s PC projection is on a big screen, there ́s no mobility, several plugs and peripherals (keyboard, mouse, adaptors) are needed. A solution will be to have a Mirabook. This lapdock has everything to work remotely, 10 + of battery life, lightweight, keyboard and a touchpad. There ́s no more need of being chained to a desk when using a lapdock and a Huawei on Easy Projection (EMUI Desktop).