Apple’s iPadOS 26 adds movable, resizable app windows and a menu bar, bringing the iPad closer to a desktop-style multitasking experience. Samsung tablets running DeX already offer comparable window concepts. That makes the resemblance real—but it does not prove Apple copied Samsung, and the two systems differ in how they work and which devices support them.
What changed on the iPad?
Apple announced iPadOS 26 on June 9, 2025, with a new windowing system. Users can resize app windows, position them freely, open more than one window in supported apps, and tile windows side by side. Window controls provide familiar options to close, minimize, resize, and arrange windows; chosen sizes and positions persist when a window is reopened. Apple also added Exposé to help arrange and switch between open windows. Apple’s iPadOS 26 announcement
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The system is optional: Apple’s current instructions say to turn on Windowed Apps in Settings > Multitasking & Gestures. To resize a window, drag a corner or the handle at its bottom-right; to move it, drag its top edge. App commands are available from a menu bar: swipe down from the middle of the display or move the pointer to the top of the screen. Apple’s current iPad multitasking guide
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Apple’s guide says Slide Over is available in iPadOS 26.2 or later. It lets a window sit above other apps and move off-screen, then return when needed. This is a later addition to the iPadOS 26 feature set, so descriptions based only on the initial launch may not reflect current instructions.
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- WHY IPAD — The 11-inch iPad is now more capable than ever with the superfast A16 chip, a stunning Liquid Retina display, advanced cameras, fast Wi-Fi, USB-C connector, and four gorgeous colors.* iPad delivers a powerful way to create, stay connected, and get things done.
- PERFORMANCE AND STORAGE — The superfast A16 chip delivers a boost in performance for your favorite activities. And with all-day battery life, iPad is perfect for playing immersive games and editing photos and videos.* Storage starts at 128GB and goes up to 512GB.*
- 11-INCH LIQUID RETINA DISPLAY — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display is an amazing way to watch movies or draw your next masterpiece.* True Tone adjusts the display to the color temperature of the room to make viewing comfortable in any light.
- IPADOS + APPS — iPadOS makes iPad more productive, intuitive, and versatile. With iPadOS, run multiple apps at once, use Apple Pencil to write in any text field with Scribble, and edit and share photos.* iPad comes with essential apps like Safari, Messages, and Keynote, with over a million more apps designed specifically for iPad available on the App Store.
- FAST WI-FI CONNECTIVITY — Wi-Fi 6 gives you fast access to your files, uploads, and downloads, and lets you seamlessly stream your favorite shows.
More than a visual resemblance
Window controls, flexible resizing, and app-specific menu bars make iPad multitasking feel more familiar to people who use desktop interfaces, especially with a pointer or keyboard. Apple’s developer session also discusses fluid resizing, a more precise pointer, and app-specific menu bars. Those are product-design observations, not measured evidence of a productivity gain. Apple’s WWDC25 developer session
What Samsung DeX already does
Samsung describes DeX as a multitasking interface for apps on a Galaxy phone or tablet, either on the device or, depending on the model and setup, on a connected display. Its support instructions describe windows that can be minimized, maximized, closed, snapped left or right, or opened as pop-up windows. A taskbar provides access to apps, and current instructions describe workspace switching on supported tablet software. Samsung DeX support
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- WHY IPAD — The 11-inch iPad is now more capable than ever with the superfast A16 chip, a stunning Liquid Retina display, advanced cameras, fast Wi-Fi, USB-C connector, and four gorgeous colors.* iPad delivers a powerful way to create, stay connected, and get things done.
- PERFORMANCE AND STORAGE — The superfast A16 chip delivers a boost in performance for your favorite activities. And with all-day battery life, iPad is perfect for playing immersive games and editing photos and videos.* Storage starts at 128GB and goes up to 512GB.*
- 11-INCH LIQUID RETINA DISPLAY — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display is an amazing way to watch movies or draw your next masterpiece.* True Tone adjusts the display to the color temperature of the room to make viewing comfortable in any light.
- IPADOS + APPS — iPadOS makes iPad more productive, intuitive, and versatile. With iPadOS, run multiple apps at once, use Apple Pencil to write in any text field with Scribble, and edit and share photos.* iPad comes with essential apps like Safari, Messages, and Keynote, with over a million more apps designed specifically for iPad available on the App Store.
- FAST WI-FI CONNECTIVITY — Wi-Fi 6 gives you fast access to your files, uploads, and downloads, and lets you seamlessly stream your favorite shows.
The feature-level overlap is straightforward: both systems let users work with multiple visible app windows and use familiar desktop-style controls. Samsung documents DeX across supported Galaxy devices, while Apple presents windowing as an iPadOS feature that can also be used with Stage Manager and an external display. These similarities establish a comparison, not a design lineage: the available documentation does not show that Apple intentionally followed Samsung or when Samsung introduced every comparable capability.
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Where the two approaches differ
| Question | iPadOS 26 | Samsung DeX |
|---|---|---|
| Window controls | Resizable, movable and tileable windows, with familiar close and minimize controls. | Movable and resizable windows with minimize, maximize and close controls, snapping and pop-up windows. |
| Availability | Windowed Apps is enabled in Settings > Multitasking & Gestures. Slide Over is available in iPadOS 26.2 or later, according to Apple’s current guide. | Availability and behavior vary by Galaxy model and software. Samsung’s workspace workflow requires Android 16 with One UI 8.0 or higher; standalone DeX is limited to listed Galaxy series. |
| External-display and multi-screen use | Apple says windowing can be paired with Stage Manager and an external display. | DeX can run on a device or connected display, depending on model and setup. Samsung says an app generally runs on one screen at a time, rather than simultaneously on the external display and tablet or phone display. |
| PC connection caveat | Not stated in the cited Apple windowing documentation. | DeX for PC is no longer supported on Galaxy devices released with or updated to One UI 7 or later. Samsung points to Link to Windows for some PC-connected tasks. |
Samsung also warns that apps running when DeX opens or closes will be closed, and advises saving work first. Because device support, software versions, displays, and apps vary, a feature list alone cannot establish which system is better for a particular person.
Rank #3
- WHY IPAD — The 11-inch iPad is now more capable than ever with the superfast A16 chip, a stunning Liquid Retina display, advanced cameras, fast Wi-Fi, USB-C connector, and four gorgeous colors.* iPad delivers a powerful way to create, stay connected, and get things done.
- PERFORMANCE AND STORAGE — The superfast A16 chip delivers a boost in performance for your favorite activities. And with all-day battery life, iPad is perfect for playing immersive games and editing photos and videos.* Storage starts at 128GB and goes up to 512GB.*
- 11-INCH LIQUID RETINA DISPLAY — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display is an amazing way to watch movies or draw your next masterpiece.* True Tone adjusts the display to the color temperature of the room to make viewing comfortable in any light.
- IPADOS + APPS — iPadOS makes iPad more productive, intuitive, and versatile. With iPadOS, run multiple apps at once, use Apple Pencil to write in any text field with Scribble, and edit and share photos.* iPad comes with essential apps like Safari, Messages, and Keynote, with over a million more apps designed specifically for iPad available on the App Store.
- FAST WI-FI CONNECTIVITY — Wi-Fi 6 gives you fast access to your files, uploads, and downloads, and lets you seamlessly stream your favorite shows.
Why did iPad take so long to get proper windows?
The new system reflects a change in what Apple lets users do with app windows; it does not, by itself, explain why Apple made that change when it did. The documented feature set is enough to say that iPad now offers a more desktop-like way to arrange apps, while Samsung DeX has comparable concepts. It is not enough to attribute Apple’s timing or design decisions to Samsung.
Apple described the release as “our biggest iPadOS release ever,” in a statement from Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. That is Apple’s promotional characterization, not an independent assessment. Apple’s announcement
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- Smart Connector. 3.5 mm headphone jack. Stereo speakers. On/Off - Sleep/Wake. Home/Touch ID sensor. Dual microphones. Volume up/down. Nano-SIM tray (cellular models). Lightning connector
- A10 Fusion chip.
- Touch ID fingerprint sensor,
- 8MP back camera, 1. 2MP FaceTime HD front camera.
- Stereo speakers.
How to decide whether the change matters to you
Think about your actual work rather than treating “desktop-like” as a verdict. The useful questions are whether your apps support the windows you need, whether you prefer touch or pointer control, and how you expect apps to behave across the tablet and an external display.
- Window flexibility: Do you need several visible, freely positioned windows, or is switching between full-screen apps enough?
- Touch versus pointer: Would dragging and resizing with touch suit your routine, or do you rely on a mouse or trackpad for precise control?
- Display setup: If you connect an external screen, check how your specific device and apps handle work across displays.
- Compatibility: Confirm the iPad or Galaxy model, operating-system version, and app support before relying on a particular multitasking feature.
A keyboard or trackpad can make pointer-driven window management more convenient, but neither is required to use iPad’s windowing feature. Apple says iPad supports third-party Bluetooth keyboards; check the exact tablet model before buying a keyboard case. Apple’s iPad keyboard information Apple Support: Connect a Bluetooth mouse or trackpad to your iPad
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