The Android operating system was certainly not born to be used on normal PCs, and although in its evolutions it has undergone many adaptations, so much so that it can be installed on computers (such as Android x86), it still remains a little inconvenient to use to work as would be done with Windows or Mac. Since, however, any device, be it smartphone or better still tablet, Android can be transformed into a PC by adding keyboard, mouse and monitor, someone thought well of creating a special application capable of transforming Android into a real Windows-like system or Mac OS, with the Start Menu, the icons and applications that open as programs.
These apps already work quite well even if they are at the preliminary stage at the moment, but do not require any root or particular configuration, they are only to be installed and used immediately, simple and complete. To be precise, there are currently two "Launcher" type applications that allow you to transform Android into a desktop PC operating system, similar to Windows and Mac .
1) Sentio Desktop, currently available for free for Android Lollipop and later versions, is an app that works without problems on smartphones and tablets with at least 2GB of RAM and with an external monitor. First of all, you need to download and install the Sentio Desktop application on Android, then grant the necessary permissions to notifications too. When Sentio Desktop is running, just touch the application icon to launch it and notice how it looks like Windows, with horizontal orientation, start menu, clock and notification area in the bottom right and possibility to use programs from the desktop. The app also works to project the Android screen onto the TV with the Chromecast or Miracast and supports connecting to monitors via adapter. When using Sentio the Android smartphone or tablet must be attached to the charger.
2) Leena Desktop is a similar application that turns Android into a more Mac OS-like system. This application is also in beta phase, but it supports connection with the monitor (via HDMI adapter), the keyboard and the mouse. In the settings you can configure the text size, the desktop background and several other things. The app integrates a file manager that works as an explorer to search for files as you would on a Windows PC, a video player, a browser and a start menu to launch applications.
3) While Leena and Sentio offer a desktop front-end for your Android phone, AndroNix goes further by adding an entire additional operating system to the phone or teblet. This app allows you to perform a Linux installation on Android without the need for root. Andronix is impressive, but being a collection of scripts and although there are clear instructions and lots of documentation, it still remains for experts.
3) You can add the Windows 10 Start menu on Android with a special app, really incredible to try.
READ ALSO: Best Android Launchers and apps to change appearance on your mobile phone
