HP announces business-focused, Windows 10-powered Elite x3 phablet

As for the specifications, the Elite x3 sports a 5.96-inch QHD (1440×2560 pixels) Amoled display with Gorilla Glass 4 protecting it. The HP Elite x3 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC clocked at 2.15GHz coupled with 4GB of RAM, and 64GB inbuilt storage.

Other hardware specs include a 16-megapixel rear-facing camera, 8-megapixel selfie snapper USB-C, fingerprint sensor and iris scanner and IP67 rated – meaning it’s protected from immersion in water with a depth of up to 1 meter for up to 30 mins. And thanks to Windows 10 continuum, docking the phone coverts the OS from mobile to desktop. Its Windows Phone mobile operating system never saw widespread adoption, overshadowed by Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android.

Plus, through HP’s partnership with Salesforce, the device will be preinstalled with the Salesforce1 app. When docked, it will switch to the PC/cloud version of Salesforce as well. HP Inc. plans to do this by offering a series of peripherals capable of turning the X3 from a smartphone into either a desktop PC or notebook, hence the “X3” moniker. The handset looks imposing and huge, and that?s because it is, but HP has also included some nice design flourishes, such as a matte finish on the rear and a funky pattern on the speaker grill. The Dock has a DisplayPort outlet to connect a monitor, two USB-A ports, a USB-C port, and an Ethernet port, which gives HP’s new phone access to secure business data – an important feature, since many companies will restrict their wireless networks to prevent such access.

HP isn’t a name that we hear often in the mobile space, but the Hewlett-Packard crew is changing that today with the debut of the Elite x3. If we were just talking about the Elite x3, HP would already have a victor on its hands, but the company has an entire ecosystem of peripherals that turns the phablet into a true mobile workhorse. And from HP! Who knew? Since the tech giant is using a “one platform to serve them all” approach, the possibilities are endless, and yes this includes Windows 10 for Mobile as well.

HP is also ensuring the Elite x3’s security is sufficiently robust for its enterprise audience.

The HP Elite X3 is arguably the king of the Windows phones, so much so that it even treads on laptop and PC territory. Microsoft’s Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL also have this feature, which allows the phone to work like a computer. In other words, with Workspace, you can run a curated list of traditional Windows apps through the Elite X3.

First is the Desk Dock where users will be able to dock their Elite x3 and hook it up to an external display, keyboard and mouse.

HP has not revealed when the Elite x3, Desk Dock and the Mobile Extender will be released, nor has it revealed their prices. HP has basically gone all out on hardware here, that’s mostly because this isn’t just created to be your phone. The company is hoping employees will use it as their only work device, replacing their desktop or laptop computers. How?