This Cheap OTG Hack Made My Phone Feel Like a PC

Before I got a laptop, I used to work on my phone with a keyboard connected via an OTG. I used a membrane keyboard with a cheap $0.4 OTG adapter, but it got the job done. Now I have a Redmi 10 Prime with 6GB RAM and an 8-core helio G88 chip. And a type-C port. I connected them. Nothing. So why do I need a $1 adapter for something that should just work. And more importantly - if my phone is powerful and supports all peripherals I need - why did I carry around a laptop?