HP’s Elite x3 Smartphone Arrives August 29, Starts at $699

News
By Derek Forrest
published

HP has re-entered the smartphone business with the Elite x3, a “3-in-1” mobile device that offers business productivity features in a Windows 10 smartphone. HP finalized the bundle and stand-alone starting prices, and the company slated the Elite x3 to start shipping at the end of August.

When HP revealed the Elite x3 at MWC, we were excited at the prospect of the company’s propriety HP WorkSpace virtualization software running legacy x86 applications in a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), which is something standard Windows 10 smartphones can’t do. HP’s enterprise expertise could make the HP Elite x3 a compelling choice for businesses seeking one device to rule them all.

The specs haven’t changed since the original reveal, but the accessory former known as the “MeDock,” a 12.5-inch thin-client laptop shell, has received a new name. Now referred to as a Lap Dock, HP intends to bundle this “accessory” with the Elite x3 later on, but pricing details and the precise release date aren’t available yet.

However, HP did reveal that the Elite x3 would be available as a bundle with the Desk Dock (a docking station that the phone sits in that provides USB and DisplayPort connectivity to connect a monitor and peripherals) and a premium headset starting at $799. The HP Elite x3 starts at $699 by itself. The price is far below the $1000 bundle price we had estimated back at MWC, and it’s a welcome surprise for the device given the powerful hardware.

The HP Elite x3 starts shipping on Aug 29. Those interested in purchasing the device can drop HP a line on the company website.

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Header Cell - Column 0 HP Elite X3
Display5.96-inch (2560x1440) AMOLED multitouch, Corning Gorilla Glass 4, anti-reflective coating
SoCQualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996 (2.15 GHz, quad-core)
GPUAdreno 530
RAM4 GB LPDDR4
Storage64 GB eMMC 5.1, up to 2 TB microSD
CamerasFront: 8MP FHD w/ Iris cameraRear: 16MP FHD
Audio-Stereo speakers (one w/ earpiece)-Integrated omnidirectional mics w/ HP Noise Cancellation Software (x3)-External mic (from headset jack) -Snapdragon Audio+ support-Audio by B&O PLAY
Connectivity-4G LTE-A w/ carrier aggregation-802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2x2) Wi-Fi/BT 4.0 LE combo (Miracast supported)-NFC
Ports-Headphone jack -Dual nano SIM (or nano SIM + microSD) via 3-in-2 tray-Pogo pins-USB Type-C (USB 3.0)
Sensors-Ambient light sensor + proximity combo -Accelerometer + gyro-eCompass, pressure-Hall effect -GPS
Security-Iris recognition (front cam) and fingerprint reader-FIPS 140-2 cryptography-Qualcomm Secure Boot, 128-bit key Unified Image Encryption, 256-bit key Full Disk Encryption, Anti-rollback, fTPM 2.0 security-Windows 10 includes 128 key Bitlocker encryption and Enterprise grade VPN
Battery4,150 mAh Li-ion polymer
SoftwareHP Workspace, HP Device Hub, HP Registration and device onboarding, Adobe PDF Reader
Dimensions83.5 x 7.8 x 161.8 mm
WeightStarting at 195g (0.43 lb)
OSWindows 10 Mobile
AvailabilityAugust 29, 2016
Pricing- Stand-Alone: $699- Desk Dock, Headset Bundle: $799
Derek Forrest
Derek Forrest
Derek Forrest is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware US. He writes hardware news and reviews gaming desktops and laptops.
12 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Carl Draper
    This would be alright (though expensive!) if it weren't a Windows device! It's basically a rip off of the old Motorola Lapdock idea. Windows Phone is practically dead, they're flogging a dead horse!?
    Reply
  • therealduckofdeath
    Looks like the Iris scanner shares one of the cameras with the regular selfie cam. Hopefully that won't have an impact on the speed. I think Samsung's will use two dedicated cameras to get faster focus and balance for the task.
    Anyhoo, I think this is the only way Windows Phone would stand a chance to get into the game. Make use of the more advanced PC ecosystem with support for those thin client type laptops/tablets. Too bad Intel dropped out of the smartphone race, as an Atom processor would have felt a bit more useful instead of using virtualisation.
    Reply
  • jaber2
    if only it could play my xbox games
    Reply
  • cknobman
    18295933 said:
    This would be alright (though expensive!) if it weren't a Windows device! It's basically a rip off of the old Motorola Lapdock idea. Windows Phone is practically dead, they're flogging a dead horse!?

    This is more than your typical Apple or Android smartphone and its not meant for regular consumers (although if regular consumers bought this they would love it).

    Its an enterprise level audience this is targeted for.
    Also the Windows universal strategy comes into play here as well as HP giving ability to run x86 apps.

    I've been using continuum since last year on my 950xl and its leagues above anything Apple or Android has to offer.
    Now when I go out of town I only take one device, no more laptop/table/phone combinations.
    My phone acts as one device capable of doing everything.

    Take all that then sprinkle in the ability to run x86 apps and you have a killer device.
    Reply
  • delaro
    Congrats HP you just priced yourself out of the Market. It'd nice to see that these corporations fail to learn from past mistakes...again and again.
    Reply
  • captaincharisma
    it might be another low quality HP product but its still better than an iphone
    Reply
  • Nintendork
    This is what MS should've done, let you use x86 apps, at least the light ones for productivity.

    Give my MPC-BE/Zoomplayer, irfanview, firefox, office and it covers 90% of my non-gaming needs.
    Reply
  • alextheblue
    The phone seems great still but I heard a rumor it won't support one of the bands required for VZW support. Guess they didn't want to do battle with Verizon to force an unbranded phone onto the network? Time will tell, I hope the rumor is unsubstantiated. On a semi-related note I can't wait for Verizon to allow LTE-only phones and drop the CDMA requirements altogether. I can't even tell you the last time I had a signal that wasn't LTE on a VZW tower.

    18298412 said:
    This is what MS should've done, let you use x86 apps, at least the light ones for productivity.

    Give my MPC-BE/Zoomplayer, irfanview, firefox, office and it covers 90% of my non-gaming needs.

    Well it's got Office, the new UWP version of VLC was just released, there's various image editors, and Edge is good enough for almost any use case on a phone (or even when docked). If you're a power user you'll have a laptop anyway, but otherwise chances are very good it's got what you need. Especially with HP's add-ons.
    Reply
  • HyperMatrix
    Would be good if it weren't using a crappy qualcomm processor. Even Microsoft is waiting for the snapdragon 830 to come out before launching the surface phone.

    Really hoping nvidia do an x64 Tegra K1 upgrade on 16nm with Pascal (or preferably, wait for Volta as Pascal is basically the exact same architecture as maxwell but with higher clocks due to node shrink). The only Mobile processor to beat the iPhone processor in single core performance. We need a good alternative to qualcomm CPUs and samsung/mediatek 8-10 core useless monstrosities.
    Reply
  • delaro
    18298968 said:
    The phone seems great still but I heard a rumor it won't support one of the bands required for VZW support. Guess they didn't want to do battle with Verizon to force an unbranded phone onto the network? Time will tell, I hope the rumor is unsubstantiated. On a semi-related note I can't wait for Verizon to allow LTE-only phones and drop the CDMA requirements altogether. I can't even tell you the last time I had a signal that wasn't LTE on a VZW tower.

    18298412 said:
    This is what MS should've done, let you use x86 apps, at least the light ones for productivity.

    Give my MPC-BE/Zoomplayer, irfanview, firefox, office and it covers 90% of my non-gaming needs.

    Well it's got Office, the new UWP version of VLC was just released, there's various image editors, and Edge is good enough for almost any use case on a phone (or even when docked). If you're a power user you'll have a laptop anyway, but otherwise chances are very good it's got what you need. Especially with HP's add-ons.

    HP doesn't have a great track record with Phones or Tablets. Launching a Phone at the same price as top tier models from well respected brands is suicide.. again. I did say again right as they did this before. Also the specs are really nothing better than what is out from other companies. WorkSpace virtualization software is the only selling point but the price should have been at least $100 lower just to get a foot into a flooded market. Windows phones have not been a steller sell, sales have been down right flat, it's more of a annoyance over IOS and Android with the forced updates.
    Reply