HP Elite x3 hands-on, first impressions

HP Philippines recently launched in the country the Elite x3, the company’s latest smartphone powered by Windows 10 Mobile. Marketed as a productivity device, it packs a 5.96-inch QHD display, Snapdragon 820 CPU, 4GB RAM, and Iris and Fingerprint scanner.

The HP Elite x3 was first unveiled in February during MWC 2016. It’s a phablet with a large AMOLED display measuring 5.96-inches with QHD resolution or equal to 493ppi. Protecting this part is Corning’s Gorilla Glass 4.

Placed above it are the earpiece, 8MP front camera, light sensors, and an Iris scanner for added security.

Down below are capacitive buttons for navigation, and the loudspeaker powered by Bang & Olufsen.

On the left is the slot for the SIM cards, while on the right are the power / lock button and volume keys.

Right up top is the headset jack, while down at the bottom is the USB Type-C port.

Flip it on its back and you will see the 16MP camera, LED flash, and fingerprint scanner. Situated near the bottom is the HP logo and metal contacts for the Desk Dock.

Although most of the body is made of plastic, it feels premium and solid. The matte finish repels fingerprints well and makes it more grippy. The chrome treatment as well as the speaker hole design contributes a lot to its attractiveness. In addition, the Elite x3 is IP67-certified, thin at 7.8mm but a bit hefty at 195g.

Windows 10 Mobile-powered smartphones is nothing new but the Elite x3 brings something new to the table with the Lap Dock / HP Mobile Extender, and the HP Desk Dock.

The HP Mobile Extender looks like a very slim laptop but it’s just basically a 12.5-inch display and keyboard with USB Type-C ports, micro HDMI, headphone jack and 4-cell battery. Using Continuum, it uses the Elite x3 hardware for its processing needs, turning it into an on-the-go laptop.

The HP Desk Dock, as its name suggests, works in tandem with the HP display. It works like Microsoft’s Display Dock and features an Ethernet port, regular USB and USB Type-C ports. From there it can be connected to the HP Display and external keyboard for productivity purposes.

HP Elite x3 specs:
5.96-inch QHD (2560 x 1440) AMOLED display, 493ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass 4
2.15GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 quad-core CPU
Adreno 530 GPU
4GB RAM
64GB internal storage
microSD up to 2TB
16MP rear camera with LED flash
8MP front camera
Dual-SIM
4G LTE
WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 4.0
NFC
GPS, A-GPS
Iris scanner
Fingerprint scanner
IP67-certified
USB 3.0 Type-C
4,150mAh battery
Windows 10 Mobile
161.8 x 83.5 x 7.8 mm
195 g

The HP Elite x3 is slated to arrive in the Philippines in August or early September bundled with the Desk Dock. The Lap Dock, on the other hand, can be purchased separately. Local pricing is yet to be announced.