HP Elite x3
Hands On with HP's Elite x3
HP is jumping back into phones at a completely unexpected time. HP made quite a few iPAQ Windows smartphones back in the day (2004-2009, to be precise.) Then they bought Palm and infamously drove that into the ground. (RIP, webOS.) But now HP is jumping back into the fray with yet another Windows smartphone: the Elite x3 with Windows 10. This huge 6-inch phablet sets itself apart with not only Windows 10 with Continuum, but the ability to run old-school x86 Windows apps (not just Windows Universal apps like the Lumias.) It also has serious security features. In other words, this is a phone aimed squarely at serious enterprise customers. We checked it out. Read on for our first impressions.
HP Debuts Windows 10-Based Elite x3
HP today announced the Elite x3, a Windows 10 Mobile handset that can take advantage of Continuum to stand in as a laptop or desktop computer. It is a ruggedized handset that meets mil-spec 810G for protection against abuse and IP67 for protection from water and dust. It is compatible with a 12-inch screen/keyboard accessory to serve as a laptop, or can plug into a monitor, keyboard, and mouse to serve as a full desktop. The Elite x3 is a phablet boasting a 5.96-inch quad HD screen with Gorilla Glass 4. The phone is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 processor (2.15 GHz octa-core) with an Adreno 530 GPU and support for Quick Charge 3.0 for rapid charging. The Elite x3 boasts a 16-megapixel main camera at f/2.0 and an 8-megapixel user-facing camera. It runs Microsoft's mobile operating system complete with Office and built-in security tools for business users. Other hardware features include 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage, and support for external memory cards; full suite of wireless radios, including LTE, Bluetooth, GPS, and WiFi; as well as a built-in 4,150mAh battery that supports wireless charging. HP didn't say when the Elite x3 will go on sale, nor what it and its accessories may cost.
