MWC 2016: HP Elite x3 Designed To Function Like A Windows 10 PC

(Photo : REUTERS/Stephen Lam) The HP Elite x3 is the company's own Windows 10 smartphone designed for Continuum.

During the Mobile World Congress, HP unveiled a new high-end smartphone, the Elite x3, which runs on Windows 10.

The new HP smartphone comes with a 6-inch quad-HD (2560x1440) display, a 2.1GHz Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, which is expandable up to 2TB with a microSD card.

The Elite x3 has a 16-megapixel rear-facing camera and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera. Both cameras come with iris recognition.

Just beneath the rear-facing camera is a fingerprint scanner. The prototype shown at MWC 2016 didn't feature the fingerprint scanner, but the company said it will be available by the time the smartphone hits stores.

The phone boasts an efficient 4,150mAh battery, which can also be charged wirelessly.

What's so special about the HP Elite x3 is that it is designed specifically for Windows 10's Continuum. This lets users plug it into a display or a laptop to provide a full PC experience. 

Continuum on Windows 10 mobile has been introduced in Microsoft's Lumia 950 XL, but the HP Elite x3 takes it a lot further in terms of power.

Since the main focus of the device is to bring the full desktop or laptop PC experience, HP will also be selling two accessories that will help users take advantage of Window 10 mobile's Continuum.

First is the Desk Dock where users will be able to dock their Elite x3 and hook it up to an external display, keyboard and mouse. The Desk Dock comes with two USB ports, a single USB Type-C port, Ethernet and DisplayPort.

The second accessory is what HP calls the Mobile Extender, which at first glance can easily be mistaken for a laptop.

It's basically just a 1080p 12.5-inch screen, keyboard and trackpad packaged into a single device with its own 48Wh battery.

It will only work when a user connects their Elite x3 to it via its USB Type-C port or wirelessly.

HP is targeting enterprise and corporate consumers, but one of the disadvantages of Windows 10 mobile and Continuum is the fact that desktop apps cannot be utilized in the Elite x3.

As pointed out by The Verge, HP is currently building software that would allow users to run apps from the cloud and this would require an IT department to setup.

HP has not revealed when the Elite x3, Desk Dock and the Mobile Extender will be released, nor has it revealed their prices.

HP hinted that it might start selling the device sometime during the summer season.

The company will mostly be selling the HP Elite x3 directly to enterprise customers, and perhaps the device might soon even make its way to Microsoft's online store.

Source: MWC 2016: HP Elite x3 Designed To Function Like A Windows 10 PC