14 DAY TRIAL // HP is using the MWC 2016 conference in Barcelona, Spain, to showcase what seems to be the most powerful Windows 10 Mobile device created so far, as its hardware capabilities are even outclassing the ones of Microsoft’s very own Lumia 950 XL flagship.
And while it’s clearly a good thing to see more OEMs jumping on the Windows 10 Mobile bandwagon, HP’s Elite X3 is also setting the bar very high for Redmond’s very own Surface Phone, a device rumored to see daylight later this year.
Basically, the Lumia 950 XL has been until now the most powerful Windows 10 Mobile on the market. Thus, it came with pretty much the best hardware that you were able to find on a device running Microsoft’s new operating system.
And not only is HP’s Elite X3 fairly better than the 950 XL but it also forces Microsoft to make the Surface Phone superior to this model in order to remain the flagship of flagships.
The Surface lineup has always been about offering premium devices that no other OEMs has, so if the Surface Phone is built on the same approach, it has no other option than to outclass the Lumia 950 XL. Which, for us, the customers, is really great news because this means the Surface Phone is going to be a productivity monster in all regards.
Elite X3 for elite specifications
First of all, the HP Elite X3 comes with a 5.96-inch QHD AMOLED display with a resolution of 2560x1440 pixels, and although we doubt that the Surface Phone would come with such a large screen, the device will almost for sure have at least AMOLED tech.
Then, the X3 is powered by the Snapdragon 820 CPU, and this is exactly the processor that at some point was rumored to be offered on the Surface Phone as well. Adoption of the 820 is quite exclusive at the moment, but the moment the Surface Phone sees daylight, it might become more mainstream, so Redmond should reconsider this too.
Additionally, it features 4 GB of RAM, so offering at least the same amount is a must. A 4150 mAh battery is available on the Elite X3 to get you through the day with all this hardware under the hood, and there’s no doubt that a large capacity battery is mandatory to power the device.
What’s more, HP also went for some features that force Microsoft to innovate with the Surface Phone. For example, it offers outstanding encryption (FIPS 140-2 cryptography, 128-bit key Unified Image Encryption, 256-bit key Full Disk Encryption), a finger print sensor, and iris scanner for Windows Hello.
HP has also developed the Mobile Extender, a laptop without any internals but a screen and a keyboard, which allows you to turn the Windows 10 Mobile device into a laptop with Continuum.
Rumor has it that the Surface Phone would be developed by the same team as the one that worked on Surface tablets, and all their efforts will be headed by none other than Panos Panay. The company is already said to be looking into several “innovations,” including the possibility of running Win32 apps in Continuum when a Surface phone is being used.
Without a doubt, this list of specifications is quite impressive for Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobile fans who hope to get a wider array of devices to choose from and thus help their platform succeed. And as usual, competition is really helpful in this business environment, so thank you, HP, for helping us get the Surface Phone we’ve always dreamed about.