A recent project, signed by the Gadget Industry channel, has transformed a Samsung smartphone into a complete computer housed inside a mouse.
Leveraging the capabilities of a Galaxy S21 5G and the native desktop environment of its operating system, DeX, the mobile device has shed its own screen to rise again as an ultra-compact PC.
All the hardware fits in the palm of a hand, maintaining performance thanks to a heat-dissipation system tailored for the tight spaces.
This is the strangest Samsung Galaxy S21 in existence
The idea of fitting a PC inside a mouse takes on very particular contours in this case. Rather than resorting to classic SBCs, such as a typical Raspberry Pi, the starting point of the project is the motherboard of a high-end smartphone.
This is a device that abandons traditional architectures in favor of the more modern and efficient ARM architecture.
To make space for the smartphone’s components, the shell of a standard wireless mouse was modified, completely removing the battery compartment originally dedicated to it. Surprisingly, the Samsung’s extremely small logic-board dimensions allow a perfect fit inside the plastic case, with no obvious forcing.
Heat dissipation inside a mouse is a challenging operation due to the complete lack of active airflow. To address the issue, a block of brass was used as a diffuser.
This metal block dissipates the high temperatures generated by the processor, effectively replicating the same cooling capacity the smartphone originally had, ensuring stable operation even under load.
Although liquid cooling would offer far superior protections against thermal throttling, the device’s physical constraints make this option physically unfeasible, leaving brass to keep temperatures under control.
The software we know well
From a software standpoint, the author of the modification chose the path of simplicity and maximum optimization. Instead of installing heavy Linux distributions layered on top of the base system or complex alternative operating systems like Postmarket OS, they decided to keep the original version of Android.
The secret of operation lies entirely in the platform Samsung DeX. This feature turns the mobile interface into a true workstation, offering window management, a taskbar, and a user experience entirely comparable to that of a traditional desktop computer.
