HomeWinBuzzer NewsHP Elite X3 Superphone Gets some Pre-Launch Changes

HP Elite X3 Superphone Gets some Pre-Launch Changes

HP has given its Elite X3 smartphone a fingerprint scanner, a new colorway, and the company’s new premium logo ahead of its launch later this summer.

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Earlier today, we expressed a wish that the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 would be amazing as a productivity handset on , a platform lacking such a device. However, the HP Elite X3 is that handset (at least until gets around to making a Surface phone) and the company has been making some changes to its unreleased device.

Announced at the Mobile World Conference (MWC) in Barcelona this past February, the HP Elite X3 is the beefiest Windows smartphone ever made. It packs both a high-end professional look and market leading specs, it is essentially a PC in your pocket according to HP. This point is only driven home considering the device supports Microsoft's Continuum feature.

The problem is, nearly six months on HP has not yet launched the Elite X3. That's unfortunate, but it does at least mean that the company can make some tweaks to the handset ahead of its launch later in the year.

HP-Elite-X3-Phone-HP-Official

New documentation on HP's website shows that the Elite X3 will now include a fingerprint scanner, something it was lacking at MWC. However, this feature will not be available at launch, but will go active later in the year (“OTA update in Fall 2016”). Other changes include the addition of a gold variant Elite X3 for select markets.

Also added to the mix is the new HP logo. The company debuted the logo a couple of months ago and said it was exclusively for its high-end laptops. Inclusion of the logo on the Elite X3 shows exactly what the company thinks of this device, it really is being pushed as a handheld PC as much as it is a mobile phone.

As a refresher, the X3 comes with a massive 5.96-inch AMOLED screen with 1440 x 2560 Quad HD resolution, while Corning's Gorilla Glass 4 provides ample protection for the display. The handset itself gets IP67 water and dust proofing, while HP says it is also “drop resistant.”

Under the hood there is a Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8996 processor clocked at 2.15GHz, coupled with 4GB of RAM. 64GB of internal storage will be available out of the box, but users can also expand through a micro SD card slot. Around the back is a 16-megapixel rear camera, while the front gets an 8-megapixel selfie lens.

To run these innards and high-res screen at peak performance, HP has added a 4150mAh battery to keep the lights on. Alongside the new fingerprint scanner, the Elite X3 also gets an iris scanner to take advantage of Windows Hello authentication.

Mobile is the OS of choice for HP, and that means the handset gets Microsoft's Continuum feature, which CEO Satya Nadella said was the standout function for the platform.

 

SourceHP (PDF)
Luke Jones
Luke Jones
Luke has been writing about all things tech for more than five years. He is following Microsoft closely to bring you the latest news about Windows, Office, Azure, Skype, HoloLens and all the rest of their products.

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