Microsoft has begun to sell HP’s Elite x3 smartphone at its Windows Store. The handset is one of the most powerful Windows 10 Mobile-based devices and the one of a few initially aimed at the business professionals on a company contract. The fact that Microsoft has started to sell the HP Elite x3 indicates that the smartphone is now available to general consumers as well.

Microsoft sells unlocked HP’s Elite x3 at it MSRP of $799, which is much higher than the price of typical Windows smartphones. The handset comes with its Continuum desk dock that features an Ethernet adapter, as well as DisplayPort USB connectors, and can work with desktop displays as well as keyboards. Meanwhile, neither Microsoft nor HP currently offer the Elite x3 Lap Dock device, which can transform the Elite x3 smartphone into a laptop.

The HP Elite x3 smartphone is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 SoC and is currently the only Microsoft’s Windows 10 Mobile-based smartphone to use the chip. The device is equipped a 5.96” AMOLED display and comes with 64 MB of eMMC 5.1 NAND flash storage, 4 GB of LPDDR4 RAM as well as all the necessary connectivity features, including 4G/LTE, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and a USB Type-C connector. Developed specifically for enterprise and business users, who value security, the HP Elite x3 is FIPS 140-2 certified and features Secure Boot (with iris and fingerprint scanners), full disk encryption with a 256-bit key, fTPM 2.0, and so on. The smartphone from HP also takes advantage of Microsoft’s Continuum technology, which allows you to run your phone as a desktop PC.

  HP Elite x3
SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
2x Kryo @ 2.15 GHz
2x Kryo @ 1.59 GHz
Adreno 530
RAM/NAND 4 GB LPDDR4 RAM,
64 GB eMMC 5.1 NAND
microSD 'up to 2 TB'
Display 5.96-inch, 2560x1440 AMOLED (493 PPI)
Corning Gorilla Glass 4
Network X12 Cat 12/13 LTE-A
Single Nano-SIM or Dual Nano-SIM Models
Micro-SD Shared with Nano-SIM
Dimensions 161.8 x 83.5 x 7.8 (mm)
6.36 x 3.29 x 0.31 (in)
Weight 195 grams
0.43 lb / 6.88 oz
Rear Camera 16 MP, LED Flash
Front Camera 8 MP wide angle, Iris Camera
Battery 4150 mAh, 3.85 V, 15.98 Wh,
PMA and Qi charging
OS Windows 10 Mobile
Connectivity Intel AC-7260AN WiFi (2x2 802.11ac + BT 4.0 LE)
NFC, GPS
USB 3.0 Type-C
Additional Windows Hello (Iris and Fingerprint),
FIPS 140-2, fTPM 2.0
128-bit Unified encryption, 256-bit full disk
Disaster recovery Protection
Win10 includes 128-bit BitLocker and Enterprise Grade VPN
Bang&Olufsen Sound
3x Noise-Cancelling Microphones
Water/Dust Proof Certification IP 67
MIL-STD 810G (salt/fog/humidity/shock/thermal)

At present, the HP Elite x3 has no rivals in the price range because it is the only Windows 10 smartphone that sells for $799. In the Continuum space, the HP Elite x3 competes against Acer's Liquid Jade Primo as well as Microsoft’s own Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL, which are available for $449, $399 and $499 respectively.

Source: Microsoft

Comments Locked

35 Comments

View All Comments

  • BMNify - Monday, October 10, 2016 - link

    Hope we get a review for this phone on Anandtech.
  • SeleniumGlow - Monday, October 10, 2016 - link

    Isn't MIL-STD 810G a Military Grade certification? I'd recokon HP has gone overkill while making this phone. I'd pray they continue this and come up with a new upgraded model in future, though the current one doesn't seem to be going anywhere for a good 2 years I'd say.
  • Gunbuster - Monday, October 10, 2016 - link

    So they were deeply committed to business but now are spinning it out to retail? Throwing a bone to fans or cant dump these fast enough and are looking for fresh suckers?
  • serendip - Monday, October 10, 2016 - link

    Love those specs and I wouldn't mind one as a corporate issued phone. I wouldn't bother getting one as a consumer though.

    Windows Mobile as the new BlackBerry. That's a double edged sword for sure.
  • Lord 666 - Monday, October 10, 2016 - link

    It is a little awkward to hold due to the width and edges. Other than that, it's an engineering marvel and very fluid.
  • fanofanand - Tuesday, October 11, 2016 - link

    $799 because of the dock, which you can't get. What a stupid release.
  • Alexvrb - Wednesday, October 12, 2016 - link

    It comes with the dock. What are you talking about?
  • MrSpadge - Tuesday, October 11, 2016 - link

    Pretty happy with my Lumia 950. Would prefer something similar with a Snappy 650/652/820/820 and minor updates for 300 - 400€ instead of such an all-in flagship.
  • Niteryder007 - Tuesday, October 11, 2016 - link

    ATT/Android had something like this years ago. It never caught on. Moto Atrix I believe it was. Now they try it again with an mobile OS that has nothing for apps. Good luck.
  • Alexvrb - Wednesday, October 12, 2016 - link

    Continuum is not the same animal. It's also not limited to a single handset or manufacturer. Any Windows 10 Mobile device that meets the specs can do it.

Log in

Don't have an account? Sign up now