Thursday 15 December 2016

HP Elite x3 – The Future of Mobility?

By Brendan Loughrey























In August 2016 HP introduced a new member to the Elite Family and hailed it as ‘a revolution in mobility’ which, despite its appearance, is not a smartphone! HP’s reasoning for this is evident in the name, The Elite x3: The world’s first built for business 3-in-1 device that combines PC power and productivity with premium smartphone capabilities. This device has the capability to perform as a smartphone, laptop and desktop.

That being said, let’s take a closer look at how HP’s pioneering product in the business mobility category may have hit or missed the mark.


At first glance The Elite x3 looks and behaves much like any mobile device but at closer inspection you will find that HP have considered some finer details aimed to optimize The Elite x3 for the corporate world.

Firstly its 8 Megapixel front facing camera which renders image according to light conditions.  Combine this with a near 6 inch 494 ppi (2560 x 1440 p) AMOLED HD screen and 2 front facing speakers tuned by Bang & Olufsen with active noise cancellation microphones and you have the perfect combination for crisp, clear and bright conferencing call capabilities. A must-have for the new-age business person.

Granted the screen may seem a bit large for ordinary use but if you were a professional that would use their mobile device to edit documents and spreadsheets, you would soon warm up to the extra space.

When it comes to the business sector, security is possibly the key factor in making a purchase decision and so, in partnership with Microsoft, HP have designed accordingly:

1. On the front - an Iris Scanner for Windows Hello

2. On the rear - a finger print reader positioned, which despite its unconventional placement is a surprisingly comfortable fit.

3. And of course, pre-installed on the device is the long trusted Windows 10 Business Grade Security software.

Another attractive benefit provided by The Elite x3, which would appeal more specifically to the roaming professional, is the dual nano SIM card slots. Allowing storage of a roaming SIM card or the even just a 2nd local SIM option to segregate the device from personal and professional use.

Whilst some reviews have criticized how you have to choose between having a dual SIM or SD slot as being a bit of a nuisance, with 64 Gigs storage coming standard in the device it’s hardly enough of a nuisance to discount the benefit.

Water resistance and dust proofing are a smartphone standard these days and evidently The Elite x3 follows suit however it does have an ace up its sleeve that could prove to be the decider for any business professional regularly finding themselves onsite. Like all of HP Elite product The Elite x3 has been designed to withstand military drop tests and the screen is fitted with Corning Gorilla Glass 4 coating making it as resilient as it is powerful.

And speaking of power, possibly one of The Elite x3’s most noteworthy features is the substantial battery life. Packed with a whopping 4150 milliamps per hour, this device is more than capable of handling a full workday of heavy usage. What’s more is that it is equipped with a USB type-C quick charge with the ability to charge up to 80% within 70min. Again, another ideal feature worth highlighting to any business person continuously on the move.

Diving into the interface you will find that the OS is intuitive and runs smoothly with little to no lag. And this is to be expected really when the device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 at 2.15 gigahertz with 4 core processor and 4 Gig RAM - notably making The Elite x3 the fastest Windows phone on the market.


But the real question is how does this power fare in PC mode? After all, this is what really distinguishes it from any other devices within the category. Included in The Elite x3 bundle available from Westcoast is a sturdy, chrome finished desk dock fitted with Ethernet port, Display Port, 2 USB-A ports and USB-C port. All hooked up, the device instantly transforms from smartphone to PC. Powered by HP Workspace, Windows Mobile and Continuum, the device now empowers the mobile business exec all the PC essentials to carry out daily corporate activities. 



To sum up we think it is clear that The Elite x3 is the compelling piece of technology apt to handle any challenge the corporate world has to offer. Although it hasn’t really started any kind of revolution as of yet; kudos to HP for being the first to boldly take that one small step into what look likes may very well be the future in mobility.

Take a look at the video below.



If you're a reseller and interested in purchasing the Elite x3 you can get it here 

No comments:

Post a Comment