HP Elite X3: a feature-rich phablet running Windows 10

HP Elite x3 revealed to be a high-end Windows 10 device in leak

While the Elite x3 is running Windows 10, it's the Mobile version written for ARM processors. The Elite X3 also includes your standard array of wireless connections, including Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, LTE, and Miracast, which lets you wirelessly display the Elite X3's screen on another display. Each Elite x3 even ships with a Salesforce app pre-installed. Cameras look to be better than average, with a 16 MP sensor on the rear and an 8 MP sensor on the front. It also sports all the security features your IT department has been clamoring for, two SIM card slots for frequent fliers, and a surprisingly nice 5.96-inch Quad HD display.

The Elite x3 is enterprise security compliant, with biometrics, Bitlocker support, 128-bit and 256-bit encryption, TPM, and enterprise-class VPN.

Before you get exhausted of all the acronyms and abbreviations, the Elite x3 also features an IP-67 rating, which means it can survive a dip in 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes. The dock also supports the Elite x3 with and without a protective case. These three features allows the x3 to transform from a traditional though spec-laden phone into the core of an entire person's productivity empire. The specs also hinted that there would be a USB Type-C port onboard the HP Elite x3 along with support for USB 3.0. But, with the Lumia 950 series, we saw what it could do with phones - change the phone UI to a desktop UI when the phone is used with a dock and an external monitor, effectively turning a Windows 10 smartphone into a pocket PC. While the mobile extender doesn't have a CPU or built-in storage, it does have a 48 wH battery which can recharge the x3 when you're on the go.

The Elite x3 is hardly the first phone to make the most of Windows 10 and its desktop-like Contiuum feature, so how is HP going to succeed in a world where Microsoft and its pair of Lumia 950s have yet to make their mark?

At Mobile World Congress today, HP Inc took the wraps off what it calls "a new mobile ecosystem that will drive the next generation of computing". It certainly feels tight and sturdy, and there's no bending, flexing or creaking, and a conveniently capless USB-C port.

Though it's not made of metal, the plastic construction still felt solid. The laser cut grill on front-facing speakers addles a nice bit of visual sparkle, and for a pre-production sample unit, the x3 felt remarkably solid despite its lack of heft.

The release of the x3, a 5.9-inch smartphone that HP hopes will replace users' desktop, notebook, and tablet computers thanks to a series of docks it plans to bundle with the device, marks not only the company's first entry into the mobile enterprise market, but the first time a third party has collaborated with Microsoft Corp. to offer a Windows 10 smartphone. It's not as downright fancy as the NuAns Neo, but it's got the horsepower to make some people reconsider the Windows Phone lifestyle. Connect up a keyboard and mouse and you have yourself a mini portable workstation. Form there you can pull apps like Word or Excel and proceed with business as usual, without worrying about whether the apps you need will work right.

With the x3, IT managers have a single device to manage and workers have just one device they need to carry.

The TCO implications for this "will become more evident once Windows 10 gains more adoption", he said. The company isn't announcing the price at this time and says the Elite x3 will be released this summer - it wouldn't be surprising if the device is shelved prior to the release. Created to facilitate access to virtualised, cloud-hosted enterprise apps (many of them originally written for Windows XP), HP Workspace is an app catalogue that authenticates to Active Directory, pulling up a tile for each of the apps to which the user has access.

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Source: HP Elite X3: a feature-rich phablet running Windows 10