Recommended reading

HP Elite x3 superphone now comes in Gold too for some extra flair

News
By published

The HP Elite x3 is expected to arrive sometime this summer presumably near the Windows 10 Anniversary Update. Besides its Bluetooth certification the powerhouse Windows 10 Mobile device was spotted on the FCC recently, suggesting its launch is rapidly approaching.

Up until now, the Elite x3 was only seen in one color option: A Graphite polycarbonate body with a Chrome speaker grill at the bottom. In a July 1 updated specification sheet, however, a second color option is now listed: Gold/Gold.

Unfortunately, no images or mockups were posted by HP leaving its final appearance guesswork at this time.

The design will presumably have a gold body with a gold metal component at the bottom, which is a bit curious. HP recently released a new Spectre laptop with a black and gold motif, and a matching design would seem appropriate for Elite x3.

Additionally, the color option appears to be more limited than the standard Graphite/Chrome model with a footnote mentioning "Gold/Gold color option not available in all countries."

Either way, it sounds like some executives may be rocking a blinged-out Elite x3 this year. Let's hope it looks the part.

Finally, in one other footnote, it says that the fingerprint reader won't be enabled "until OTA coming soon." Windows 10 Mobile currently does not support fingerprint readers, but the feature is expected to be part of the Anniversary Update due in August. It is not yet clear if the phone will launch with the feature, or, as the documentation mentions, a later update will have to come down the road.

The HP Elite x3 will feature a Snapdragon 820 CPU, 64GB internal store, micro SD expansion, Iris scanner and fingerprint reader, 16MP and 8MP cameras, and some B&O front facing speakers for good measure. More can be found on our full specifications page

Need more? Don't miss our other coverage of the Elite x3 including:

Thanks, Steven B., for the tip

Daniel Rubino
Daniel Rubino
Editor-in-chief

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central. He is also the head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007 when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and wearable tech. He has reviewed laptops for over 10 years and is particularly fond of 2-in-1 convertibles, Arm64 processors, new form factors, and thin-and-light PCs. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, performed polysomnographs in NYC, and was a motion-picture operator for 17 years.