Here is the near-finalized HP Elite x3 'superphone' at Computex 2016

By Daniel Rubino
published

Microsoft and HP have started their ramp up to the HP Elite x3 megaphone running Windows 10 Mobile. The powerhouse of a device was featured in numerous promo videos from Microsoft, HP, and even Qualcomm (boasting about their Snapdragon 820 processor).

While on the ground at Computex in Taipei we managed to get our grubby hands on the near-finalized hardware for the future phone which you can see in our new video. The biggest change was the addition of the rear fingerprint reader, which while knew it was coming, was not yet built into the device back when the x3 was first announced a few months ago.

There is still no word on availability and pricing, but most guestimates put the phone releasing after the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, which itself is expected at the end of July. The Elite x3 uses many new features found in that update including fingerprint reader support, Enterprise data protection for MDM (InTune), Ethernet support, and general improvements to Continuum, so it would make sense for its release to be timed with the Anniversary Update.

HP Elite x3 specifications

CategoryFeatures
Product ColorHP Graphite
Operating SystemWindows 10 Mobile
ProcessorQualcomm Snapdragon 820 (2.15 GHz, 4cores)
ChipsetQualcomm MSM8996
Memory4GB LPDDR4 SDRAM (onboard) Dual channel x32 PoP 32Gbit
Internal Storage64GB eMMC 5.1
Display5.96" diagonal WQHD (2560x1440)
AMOLED multi-touch display
Corning Gorilla Glass 4
Anti-reflective coating
Available GraphicsQualcomm Adreno 530 GPU
Audio2 Stereo speakers (one with earpiece)
3 integrated omni-directional microphones with HP Noise Cancellation Software
1 external microphone (from headset jack)
Snapdragon Audio+ support
Audio by B&O PLAY
Wireless Technologies802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2x2)
WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 LE combo (Miracast supported)
NFC
WWAN:2G/3G/4G,LTE-A with carrier aggregation 4,5,6,13
Expansion Slots1 microSD (Expandable up to 2TB)
Ports and ConnectorsOne 3.5mm 3 and 4 pole headphone jack
1 USB 3.0 Type-C connector
Dual nanoSIM or nanoSIM + microSD card via 3-in-2 card tray
Pogo pins
Camera16MP f/2.0 FHD rear-facing camera
8MP FHD front facing camera and Iris camera
Available SoftwareHP Workspace
HP Device Hub
HP Registration and device onboarding
Adobe PDF Reader
Security ManagementElite x3 device has dual biometrics with Iris recognition and Fingerprint reader
FIPS 140-2 cryptography
Qualcomm processor includes Secure Boot
128-bitkey Unified Image Encryption
256-bitkey Full Disk Encryption
Anti roll back
fTPM2.0security; Windows 10 includes 128 key Bitlocker encryption
Enterprise grade VPN
Dimensions3.29 x 0.31 x 6.36 in
83.5 x7.8 x 161.8 mm
WeightStarting at 0.43lb
Starting at 195g
Power10W 5V/2 Aadapter
Non-removable 3.85V battery pack
4150 mAh Li-ion polymer
Wireless ChargingQi and PMA
SensorsAmbient light sensor + proximity combo
Accelerometer+gyro
eCompass
Pressure
Hall effect
NFC
GPS
Energy Efficiency ComplianceENERGY STAR certified
EPEAT Gold
registered where applicable
EPEAT registration varies by country
Durability featuresDesigned to pass IP67
Providing seals against liquid and dust ingress to IP67 rating
Designed to pass MIL-STD810G testing

HP is expected to sell the Elite x3 in direct business deals with its vast array of enterprise customers. While not marketed as a consumer device per se we are expecting the phone to be sold directly from Microsoft and HP for people who want one. The phone will likely be bundled with the desktop dock with the Mobile Extender ("ME Dock") coming in as a separate purchase.

You can read all our coverage of this exciting Windows 10 Mobile device on our main HP Elite x3 landing page or check out these in-depth articles about it below:

Daniel Rubino
Daniel Rubino
Executive Editor

Daniel Rubino is the Executive Editor of Windows Central, head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft here since 2007, back when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, Microsoft Surface, laptops, next-gen computing, and arguing with people on the internet.

295 Comments
  • Can't wait to see when they drop the price on this send everyone stayed complaining because they expect it to be 400-500$.lol
  • I've said before and will say it again: the price won't be totally crazy. Since HP is doing no advertising for this phone, there are no Store promotions, and there are no carrier costs involved for testing/approval, the actual overhead is very low on this device. Much of the cost for a high profile phone goes into the marketing behind it e.g. Samsung, Apple (think of the costs for those TV ads and billboards; they recoup those expenditures by putting some of it into phone's price). I was told by HP this will be priced accordingly to current high-end phones and not something extraordinary.
  • How much do you think? More than the 950xl for certain. Please downvote me. I'm aiming for the most.
  • Well, I'm not saying it will be cheap and since I was told it will be bundled with the Desk Dock (at first), the price will be higher than a 950 XL. I'm just saying I am not expecting a $1000 phone.
  • Wasn't the acer primo bundle $899 (not entirely certain on the name...jade??) Please downvote me. I'm aiming for the most.
  • Was that the monitor-inclusive one?
  • The cheap monitor inclusive one yes Please downvote me. I'm aiming for the most.
  • YOU'RE WISH IS OUR COMMAND Posted via Surface Pro 4 or Microsoft Halo Phone
  • Lol
  • your* Posted via the Windows Central App for Android
  • add $50 for Mozo case!
  • In The Netherlands we had a pricedrop. 950 is now €399 and 950XL €499
  • The 950 xl is a screaming bargain here in Oz, it's only, cough, $950 :-o
  • Yep. We sure pay more then most here in Oz
  • In my neighborhood 950 with that useless continuum box goes for €299. 199 soon I would guess.
  • In greece you can find 950 at a price around 320 euros in various online stores.
    Lumia 640 XL
  • With free Continuum dock as well as long the offer stands and while on stock.
  • I think it will be around 60,000₹
  • There is no way a phone will cost 60 000 Canadian Dollars Posted via Surface Pro 4 or Microsoft Halo Phone
  • See the sign... It's not symbolizing dollar.
  • I meant 60,000 indian rupees
  • With the drop of the Canadian dollar and Trudeau's deficits, I wouldn't be surprised if this is the Canadian price as well.
  • I love your enthusiasm for down votes. Welcome to Down Vote Central! Posted from PornHub
  • I love them, fuels me. Please downvote me. I'm aiming for the most.
  • Because you ask for down votes, I up vote you.
  • Nooooooooo Please downvote me. I'm aiming for the most.
  • You monster Please downvote me. I'm aiming for the most.
  • Lol!
  • I think it would be fair to expect it to sell for between 700€-800€. Posted via the Windows Central App for Android
  • They are not going to sell many of these but at that price they will sell next to none. This is like the Homer Simpson car, it is some IT nerd's dream but useless in the real world. There just isn't any point in carrying around a dummy laptop or peripherals so you can run Windows RT off your phone. Ultrabooks aren't pricey and are far more convenient and capable. Posted via the Windows Central App for Android
  • Lol
  • So that would mean no Verizon support then, right?
  • HP would like this phone compatible with everyone, but at the time of the announcement they had no progress with Verizon. Whether that has changed between now and then, or even later on, remains to be seen.
  • If HP includes CDMA radios and bothers to get CDMA certification from the FCC (unlike Microsoft, who didn't bother on the 950) then Verizon will carry it. Verizon already has several Windows phones. Of course HP cannot be so insane as to demand any carrier buy a minimum number of devices. With a marketshare of UNDER 1%, what carrier would do that??
  • " HP cannot be so insane as to demand any carrier buy a minimum number of devices."
    HP is not going through any carrier, although AT&T is certifying it for their network. This is a 100% open market, unlocked phone. No carriers involved at all and it will hit 7 markets on launch.
  • Daniel, can you explain more about how this works--that is, how OEMs can just bypass carriers? You wrote above that you expect the price of the phone to be more reasonable than most high-end phones because they don't have to go through any carrier testing and approval. Are you saying that any OEM can just put in the bands necessary to be on any carrier's network, sell that phone without carrier approval or testing, and then a customer can bring that phone to their carrier and say "this is the phone I'm using so shut up and activate it"? That sounds awesome from a consumer perspective but terrible for a carrier. I assume I'm failing to undersatnd what you're saying.
  • coip, yes, that is exactly how it works. The bands are part of the phone hardware which has long been standard. Unfortunately, US carriers have long bullied phone makers and consumers into thinking that control is actually in the carriers' hands. There is no technical reason why a network of a certain carrier wouldn't work on a phone that has the required bands. In most parts of the world (except US and a few more countries), people just pop in whatever SIM card they like and expect it to "just work" -- and that it does.
  • So what exactly are the carriers doing when they spend all this time and resources "testing" new OS updates and whatnot (e.g. Verizon finally approving Windows 10 Mobile for the Lumia 735). It's just because they sell those phones through their own channels so they need to guarantee it works smoothly, but in other countries where they don't do this, the carriers don't guarantee any phone will work? Who provides the technical support when a phone runs into network issues, then, if not the carrier?
  • Really, testing a phone to see if it works with their network is a waste of time (in my opinion). With 8.1 I guess it made sense for every update as the radio stacks weren't separate and were involved in every update, so networks had to check it. But with windows 10, as long as it has the required bands in the device, it's pointless for the networks to "test" it when it is already compatible because of the required hardware matches. For example Verizon seem like a stubborn network who like to stall when they can. Luckily for me in UK, like others have said, networks usually just release the phone as long as it has the required bands as most times the phone WILL work. :p +640 on Windows10Mobile
  • Adding all their crapware, I'm running a 959xl on ATT with absolutely no problem. The only issue I've been able to find is that there is no picture of my phone on my number in my family account pages. Posted from Windows Central for Windows 10
  • It's hardly an issue. In most countries certain minimum standard interfaces are demanded of the carriers which are well known by phone OEMs. If both parties comply to these standards, 99.9% of devices work without issues. The whole 'testing' thing by US carriers is a side effect of getting into the phone hardware business directly through contracts which therefore obliges them to provide direct hardware support that's really not their core business.
  • @coip - technical support for the device is provided by the retailer where you bought the device from, or from the manufacturer. Obviously if you've bought your mobile from Target or BigW then they're not going to be able to help with anything but returns / warranty. A carrier would only really provide support for devices they sell. I've never heard of anyone having network issues because of the device they bought, but you would likely call the carrier for advice as you're still a paying customer on their network. I am with Vodafone in Australia, but they haven't sold Windows Phones for years. My first and second WP's were from Telstra (branded, but unlocked), although my 950 I bought from Optus. I was very close to buying it from Harvey Norman who are a general electronics and whitegoods retailer. JB HiFi (who sell music, movies, hifi's, tv's etc) also routinely sell WP's. In each case, I had the option to go on contract with the other carriers - but I prefer to save money ($500+/year) by buying my phones outright. Sometimes you can buy the same phone locked or unlocked to a certain carrier, which is usually at a subsidised cost. Whichever way you buy, you just put your SIM in the card and you're good to go. There's no 'activation' of phones or anything like that.
  • That's how it would here in Oz, you Mericans are getting ripped by your Telco's
  • You buy the phone, and put a SIM in it from a carrier, whose works with it. It's just that simple :D Posted with the Windows Central app for Windows 10 on HP 250 G1 notebook. It is a scary old monster, I think :D
  • The point of going through carriers is that you can pay for your phone in smaller increments over the course of your contract rather than buy the phone out right for however many hundred dollars it costs. This is how so many people can get new iPhones and Galaxy S(insert relevant number) or upgrade their phone to newer models.
  • Actually a lot of networks do sell the phone for full price but still locked. Then you have to usually pay extra to get it unlocked. That's why it's even more for unlocked phones (I'm talking about paying ALL the money upfront at the phone shop) or at least that happens in UK stores. +640 on Windows10Mobile
  • In most other countries I'm aware of, all the carrier gives to a consumer is the SIM card - that is your license to access their network infrastructure. It's pretty much your business which phone you plan to use provided the device has been authorized by the communications authorities. It's only in the US that I learnt that carriers are in the phone selling business as well.
  • It's the same way up here in Canada too.
  • Yes that's the case. To be frank there are large market like India and China, where people just buy those devices they like and goes to the carrier they want their device to work with or use with the existing ones carrier network. That's affordable and reliable then those nasty time consuming way of involving onto be on or off contract with the carriers like AT&T, Verizon, Etc.
  • My country phone OEM bypass carrier. Phone sold under carrier in my country do not lock phone but they lock customer by 2 years contract. Testing purpose is done by FCC like organization in my country. Posted via the Windows Central App for Android
  • How would roaming otherwise work???? I travel a lot for work (and pleasure) around europe and also other continents and never ever have I jad problems, other than poor coverage. To me this whole carrier testing is nonsense, they all use comparable platforms( android, windows etc), radio chips etc, so any fault would be noticed almost directly during testing, I guess. Unless of course they all want to do something special like skins on android. But with windows I assume the interference is far less, also by the smaller set of support chips.
  • I wonder if WiFi calling will be available or be added after the fact. Sent from Windows 386
  • This is something that I'm wondering about as well. Even though I have great TMO service I've become accustomed to having WiFi calling and VoLTE available.
  • I work for a company that handles wireless services for several business, for them to compete with the iPhone which is the preferred business phone they will need to make special enterprise bundles with the carriers so that this phone is cheaper than the consumer market and more reliable than an iPhone which its life expectancy is 2 years or after a year the battery starts to drain as well as software issues, so they need to offer a device that is resistant and more reliable than the iPhone From my Lumia 950
  • If only ALL manufacturers did that...
  • Does this mean Mobile Hotspot and Visual Voicemail will work with ATT? In the past ATT has not allowed these features on unlocked non-ATT phones.
  • Both of those features work great on my unlocked non att 950 xl and 950
  • Are the LTE Bands listed correct, or more to come? I see only Band 4 for T-Mobile, nothing about Band 12 which would be almost essential for Enterprise. Windows Central App
    Alcatel Fierce XL (Redstone)
  • Translation: Every global carrier except Verizon and Sprint....so glad i moved to TMO.
  • L950/XL is using Universal radio which supports CDMA.  MS blocked CDMA in firmware since they couldn't come up with an agreement with Verizon for controlling the direct updates that W10M requires.  Now Verizon has announced to support W10M for L735.  May be they have found ways to work with MS to support W10M on Verizon.  That's a good sign.  They may support L950/XL and X3 above all.
  • You say the Lumia 950/XL had CDMA which is what's needd to run on Verizon but that Microsoft blocked it because they couldn't reach an agreement with Verizon to control their own updates. That makes sense to me but it seems to contradict what Daniel says HP is doing with the X3: completely bypassing carriers and just releasing the phone anyway. If that was an option, why didn't Microsoft just do that too?​
  • Market share is not that low, it's 2.7 I believe. That 1% gets thrown around by wannabee writers who don't know the difference btw market share and phones sold
  • Market share is your share of sales in the market for a given time period. http://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/marketshare.asp Usage share is what you are confusing with market share. Although the terms are sometimes uses interchangeably, for the most part you are wrong. Posted via the Windows Central App for Android
  • Outside of the m one 8 for windows and un supported icon, Verizon carries the lowest spec and ugliest windows phones and don't support or advertise them anyway. They practically keep them in the garbage can by the back door in their retail stores. Posted via Windows Central app for Windows 10!
    Proudly rocking my Lumia 1520!
  • I'm honestly sick of Verizon and their up town attitude! Posted via Windows Central app for Windows 10!
    Proudly rocking my Lumia 1520!
  • Daniel, if this is sold as an unlocked GSM phone (ATT , T Mobile) the 2 shortcomings of those (my experience with ATT) is no mobile hotspot and no visual voicemail. Perhaps ATT would actually allow this on unlocked non-ATT phones.
  • I have a 950xl which I use on T-Mobile...visual voicemail and hot spot work .overall performance on T-Mobile is fantastic. Also works in over 100 countries at no additional cost according to T-Mobile. I've used it in USA,Canada and Japan and it's been excellent both voice and data all for $80 a month unlimited. My wife runs her Verizon 6plus off of my hotspot when we travel because Verizon is ridiculous with their charges. I've had at&t....Verizon....sprint...and T-Mobile is hands down the Best. Love my 950xl and I've used all kinds of phones.
  • I have AT&T right now, but have been thinking about switching to T-Mobile. Just a bit concerned about their coverage, since I like to go hiking in the mountains sometimes. From my Lumia 950XL
  • That is why we left T-Mobile. It wasn't that cheap and it became useless as soon as you left the city. It was the exact opposite of Sprint actually. We switched to AT&T through their AIO(Cricket now) plans and have been really happy. Great service, tons of data and cheap prices. Posted via the Windows Central App for Android
  • How did you get vvm to work? Posted from Windows Central for Windows 10
  • Have had no issues with mobile hotspot or visual voicemail on WP8.1 or W10M on AT&T on imported L930 or L1520.3. I don't believe this is a concern.
  • But enterprise devices are normally also more expensive, see the entire Thinkpad line. So that will probably balance it out.
  • and nice to see that it is designed to passed IP67 ratings.
  • By that logic(and I don't deny it) the 950's should not cost what the high profile heavily marketed phones cost today
  • Well if there's no marketing and no carrier cost it shouldn't be no more than $500. It should be well bellow the Note 7 since it's got the 823 processor, 6 GB of ram and water proof. Posted via the Windows Central App for Android
  • Lol & the 820sd will be old news by release of this phone
  • Hey Daniel, isn't the SD820 octacore not quadcore?
  • But still competitive price like $799 will do for HP, no need to brag by putting the high price and at the same time keeping the price as low as $499 will undervalue their commitment and acceptance of non-competitiveness of windows platform even with such quality specs and look.
  • oh, how I wish they can sell it alone without the bundle, I have no need for it since I already have a PC and I don't travel.
  • Rumours were 599 USD just for the phone no dock or mobile extender laptop included.  Expected pricing is typical flagship-level at $599, without the accessories;  http://www.winbeta.org/news/hps-elite-x3-windows-10-mobile-device-arrive...
  • More like $600 Rudy Johnson
  • If HP has any hope to sell more than a handful of these phones they had better price them  well below $300. There just aren't enough folks who will shell out for a Windows Phone. 
  • It a good thing they aren't aiming to sell them to the everyday cheapskate then.  These are meant to be primarily for the enterprise.  Less competition for the money of people who want something for nothing.
  • http://youtu.be/lAD6Obi7Cag
  • Not sure if you meant to, but this made me chuckle. I believe the List price on this phone will be very high at first, that way they can negotiate down with enterprise volume buys. So, I expect something like $949.00 with dock, but Christmas specials might be way lower. Its a beast of a phone, so expect a beast of a price. Don't like the price, wait for XMas specials.
  • $300? Not going to happen. Sent from Windows 386
  • Are you for real? 300$ lol
  • well below $300, i want some of the stuff you are smoking LOL.
  • why do you think HP should sell for a loss? companies are in business to make a profit  
  • Companies are in business to appease rambo47.
  • But can you root it and put cyanogenmod on it? h4x0r 4 life. Google is my God.  
  • as Donald Trump would say the price will be huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge dont expect 500USD... it will be closer to 899 + dock
  • Immediate FAIL at that price. Not even security-conscious companies will pay that much for a Windows phone. Especially when the CEO, CFO, chairman of the board, etc, all want iPhones. 
  • Yeah, right, you know everything about how it works that.
  • you do know that HP and MS throughout the developement of this phone have taken feedback from large enterprise companies on what type of device they want, so this "all want iphones" is not really true. Employees may want to use iphones as a BYOD, but the companies dont want that.
  • Enterprise NEEDS handsets that run their line of buisness apps. Many of those are now provided in the cloud from 3rd parties. Guess what OS 95% of those vendors dont have an app for? Dont think too hard, but it's not iOS or Android.
  • I don't think you understand, these phones are not marketed to the general public. They are meant to be bundled and sold in mass quantity to business as a solution. If you buy onesie twosie, they will be expensive, at first anyway.
  • Maybe something like $600 phone only, $700-749 with dock, $799-849 with"ME Dock" From my Lumia 950
  • It should be on the price range of a Samsung S7, just the phone From my Lumia 950
  • No it shouldnt. It should be cheaper than the GS7 or iPhone or else they will just buy one of them. If HP and Microsoft want to get this in people's hands, they need to be aggressive. Windows phones aren't exactly all that popular. There needs to be some incentive for people to buy them. This enterprise excuse isn't going to be enough. Posted via the Windows Central App for Android
  • Again, they aren't looking to sell to 'us' necessarily. These are to be a business solution, different marketing execution.
  • Business isn't going to buy this, especially for iPhone prices. That is what I said. What does this do that the 650 doesn't? Run a gimped Windows RT if you carry around a bunch of cables and docks? Pointless. No one in the real world is going to do that when laptops and Surfaces exist. Anyone in IT who tries to push this solution is going to only frustrate users. Slow phone hardware and gimped Windows RT isn't a great combination, especially when you want to get work done.
  • So in your eyes Microsoft need to pay everybody $200 octodecillion per nanosecond to use the phone.
  • Yeah, they need some momentum and developer support if they ever want their mobile platform to have any traction even in enterprise. To do this they need to be extremely aggressive. Otherwise they may as well get out and stop wasting their time and money. In a year when they may "focus" on Windows Mobile, it will be even hard to make headway. They need to focus on it now and get some momentum behind it. Even then they will probably fail. Really, they need something new and revolutionary like the iPhone in 2007. The current Windows Mobile will never really work.
  • MS are 'focusing', but not on mobile as a stand alone product. The whole ethos now is WaaS and commonality between each form factor, be that surface, surface book, mobile etc...
  • Then they should just get out. If they are not going to put effort into mobile in particular, then why waste the resources at all? With this strategy it is only a matter of time before they kill it completely. The only ones who will really support it are Microsoft. They maybe be able to get some half-hearted support from PC manufacturers if they strong arm them (HP, Acer, Vaio, etc) but they will not build a strong business this way. Microsoft needs to come with solid hardware and a huge visual update to W10M this year. Next year will be too late and the bar will be so much higher. Posted via the Windows Central App for Android
  • I was going to get one but this is dumb "Dual nanoSIM or nanoSIM + microSD card via 3-in-2 card tray". 950 can have all three at once.
  • Cool
  • looking forward to this one. Now lets see the price.
  • Not less than $800, I think (Unless it's $799) with the desktop dock included.
  • Too expensive for consumers. I guess it's a good price for businesses though. Posted from my Note5/950XL
  • Because business like wasting money?
  • I'm looking forward to people arguing here at wc in the comment section. I'll get the popcorn. Posted from PornHub
  • I agree.
  • Do share please
  • I hope it ships with 64 bit W10M. Also, they could have opted for a faster UFS 2.0 storage. Looks to be nice overall.
  • Also, W10M doesn't seem to support Bluetooth 4.2 as this still comes with 4.0 while some others have implemented 4.2 on theirs.
  • I think 4.2 can be done via firmware upgrades, however, as it is more of a stack change than hardware from what I understand.
  • and we all know their is a completly new bluetooth stack coming with windows 10 soon.
  • Lol people must think QUALCOMM is making chips for w10m or something, c'mon sense, anything a droid does that a WP doesn't is entirely Microsoft's OS fault
  • W10M does support 4.1. Lumia 950 has Bluetooth 4.1. What does 4.0LE bring vs 4.1 and what about 4.1 vs 4.2? AFAIK LE to BT4.0 was the biggest change.
  • Well, it doesn't hurt to have the latest tech. Every revision is a refinement of the previous version to say the least.
    https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-main-differences-between-Bluetooth-4-...
  • Great!  A new phone for the OS that Microsoft has essentially abandoned!  Good luck connecting since I'm sure no provider will actually carry the phone.
  • Um...have you not seen the numerous updates that have come thru for W10M? How exactly has the OS been abandoned? And, unless you're on VZW or Sprint, all you have to do is pop in a Sim card and you're good to go. Doesn't matter if the carrier sells it directly or not. Posted via the Windows Central App for Android
  • You mean the updates that break more things than fix?
  • Did you see the change log for the last update? Ya know, where the list of fixes was three times longer than the list of bugs? How exactly is that breaking more than fixing? Posted via the Windows Central App for Android
  • I'm no WM10 fan, but that comment was dumb.
  • No, he means users, not ms, have abandoned wp or mobile. Posted from PornHub
  • Scroll up and read Dan's comment. Then try again ;-)