There’s no denying that people love big phones. Android already does a pretty good job of putting all the screen real estate to good use, but there’s a hidden setting that can unlock some special abilities that are typically reserved for even bigger devices.
People have different reasons for choosing big phones. Some like spacious screens for watching videos, others spend a lot of time gaming, and then there are those who want better multitasking. Regardless, there’s a way to make that big screen do even more, and it can be found in Android’s secret Developer Mode options.
Real pixels vs virtual pixels
How Android knows how big things should look
Let’s talk about how Android determines how big or small things should appear on your screen. A density-independent pixel (dp) is a virtual pixel that isn’t tied to the number of physical pixels on the screen. This is incredibly important for Android’s responsive design.
Without any adjustments, an icon that’s 144×144 pixels would look gigantic on a 720p display—it’s 1/5th of the screen width. However, that same icon would look very small on a 1440p display since it’s only 1/10th of the width.
Credit: Joe Fedewa / How-To Geek
So, to compensate for the disparity in pixels, the dp setting is higher on the 720p phone and lower on the 1440p phone. This sorta evens things out and allows the contents of the screen to appear relatively similar on both screens.
Obviously, you can’t change the physical resolution of your phone’s screen, and that’s why the dp setting is so important. Android uses it to make sure things appear the same general size regardless of screen resolution, and we can use it to trick your phone into thinking the screen is a different size than it really is.
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Android’s hidden display size setting
Much more powerful than the stock options
For a long time, Android has included a slider in the display settings for slightly adjusting how big or small things appear on the screen. It’s typically called “Screen Zoom” or simply “Display Size.” While this can be useful, it’s somewhat limited.
Now, here’s the cool thing about the density-independent pixel setting: it essentially tells Android what type of device you’re using. We’re going to use it to trick Android into thinking your big phone is actually a foldable or a small tablet, and the UI will adjust to match.
That means a dual-pane UI in many apps, and—the best part—a cool taskbar on Pixel phones and some other Android devices. Here’s how to do it:
- Enable Developer Mode by going to Settings > About phone (Galaxy owners need to go to “Software Information” as well)
- Find “Build number” on this page and tap it repeatedly until you see a message that says “You are now a developer!”
- Now we can enter the “Developer Options” menu. On some phones, you’ll find it at Settings > System > Developer options. Other devices simply put it at the very bottom of the main Settings page.
- The setting we’re looking for here is called “Minimum width.” You’ll find it in the “Drawing” section.
- Here’s where a little trial and error is required. First, take note of the current dp number before you change anything. You may want to go back.
- The goal is to find a dp setting that will switch Android into a tablet/foldable UI. On my Pixel 9 Pro XL, that’s 601 dp. On the Galaxy S25 Ultra, it’s 600 dp. Keep in mind that the aforementioned display size slider determines this number as well, which is why yours may be different than mine.
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Here’s how it looks
Using your Android phone in mini tablet mode
You’ll know you’ve switched into a different device mode when the Settings app changes to a dual-pane UI. Once you have the larger UI enabled, you can go to the regular Display Size option under Settings > Display to fine-tune it even more.
Google Pixel, OnePlus, and several other phones get a nifty floating taskbar when this larger UI is enabled. It’s what you get on Android tablets and foldables. The taskbar can be brought up with a short swipe, or you can long-press the divider line to make it always present. It includes a few spots for your favorite apps, and an app drawer that can be accessed from anywhere. Simply drag an app onto the screen to start split-screen mode.
Sadly, Samsung Galaxy phones don’t allow you to enable the taskbar, despite it being available on the Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy tablets. Typically, the option to enable it would be found at Settings > Display > Taskbar. I couldn’t find a dp setting that made this show up.
Anyway, this is a pretty cool way to expand the functionality of a big phone. The dual-pane UI in apps is nice, but I particularly like the floating taskbar. It’s nice to be able to open the app drawer from wherever you are. I don’t typically like to use large phones, but if I do, I want it to be worth the size in my pocket.
SoC
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
Display
6.9-inch Dynamic Super AMOLED 2X
RAM
12 or 16 GB
Storage
256GB, 512GB, or 1TB
Battery
5,000 mAh
Operating System
Android
Get the new Galaxy S26 Ultra with AI smarts and an all-new privacy display.
Brand
Google
SoC
Google Tensor G5
Display
6.8-inch Super Actua, 20:9
RAM
16 GB RAM
Storage
256 GB / 512 GB with Zoned UFS / 1 TB with Zoned UFS
Battery
5200mAh
Need a bigger phone? The Pixel 10 Pro XL offers just that. While you largely get the same experience as the 10 Pro, you’ll get a bigger screen and bigger battery—so you won’t be missing out on anything over the standard-sized 10 Pro.
