HP Elite X3 Smartphone Can Turn in a Mini Windows 10 PC

2016-10-17T17:47:14.000Z

You can now buy the HP Elite X3 smartphone, which lets you connect to a keyboard, mouse, and computer monitor so you can use a light, "diet" version of the Windows 10 operating system (OS).

The Elite X3 is unlikely to tempt the regular smartphone buyer, as it runs the Windows 10 mobile OS, which has so far failed to gain traction due to the sheer lack of apps available in the Windows Store.

However, the Elite X3 is best suited for business professionals who value portability above all else and use Windows 10 for work, as well as some industry-standard productivity apps, like Microsoft Office.

Check out how the $700 Elite X3 turns into a basic, portable workstation when you need it.

At its core, the HP Elite X3 is a smartphone.

It has a large 6-inch screen and has the same specs as most current premium flagship devices, including the Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of internal storage with the option to expand that storage with a microSD card.

But unlike most smartphones, it comes in a giant box, and for a very good reason. And yes, it costs about the same as a premium flagship smartphone at $699.

hp elite x3 box pcmag — There's PCMag's Sascha Segan, who could actually hide behind the Elite X3's giant box. PCMag/YouTube

Inside the box is almost everything you need to turn the Elite X3 into a PC, including a dock that lets you connect the phone to a monitor, mouse, and keyboard, and anything else you connect with USB.

The back of the dock has several ports for pretty much everything you need.

The dock includes two fast USB 3.0 ports, an even faster USB-C port for charging and data transfer, an Ethernet port, and a DisplayPort for a monitor.

For the DisplayPort, you need to make sure the monitor you're planning on using actually has a DisplayPort and not just HDMI ports.

The Elite X3 runs the Windows 10 mobile operating system, which is the key to its special ability to turn into a PC.

The Windows 10 ecosystem has a feature called "Continuum," which transforms the Windows 10 mobile OS from the Elite X3 into the familiar, full-size Windows computer OS on your monitor.

Believe it or not, this is what Windows 10 mobile looks like on a computer monitor with Continuum. It looks almost identical to the the full Windows 10 computer OS.

But keep in mind that Continuum isn't quite the same as the full Windows 10 OS, which has an effect on what kind of apps you can use.

windows continuum excel — A Windows Continuum device running the scaled-up version of the mobile version of Microsoft Excel. Microsoft/YouTube

The Continuum feature isn't the full Windows 10 OS. Instead, it scales up the Windows 10 mobile OS and apps on the phone to look like the full Windows 10.

With that in mind, you can't run any old Windows 10 apps like you would on your Windows 10 PC. You can only run apps that support Continuum, and even those are the "diet," mobile versions of the apps. They're just made to look more like a full-size app.

There are a bunch, but the best apps you're most likely to use are Microsoft's own, like Microsoft Office and Edge.

However, you can run whatever app you want...for a price.

hp workspace — You can run the full version of apps with a virtualization service. HP Business/YouTube

With the Elite X3 you get the option to subscribe to HP's Workspace virtualisation service, which lets you run the full version of apps that your company subscribes to. You can buy varying packages of the virtualization service that let you use a certain numbers or apps for certain amounts of time, depending on your needs.

Continuum is also compatible with other virtualization services, like Citrix and VMWare, so your business can use those services if they're already in use.

You can even connect the Elite X3 to the LapDock, which is basically a 12.5-inch screen, keyboard, and trackpad in a laptop package.

You can connect the Elite X3 to the LapDock via Bluetooth or USB-C for a more portable experience that doesn't need a computer monitor. The LapDock and Elite X3 package goes for $1,299.

The new HP Elite X3 is like having a Windows 10 PC in your pocket

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The new HP Elite X3 is like having a Windows 10 PC in your pocket

At its core, the HP Elite X3 is a smartphone.

But unlike most smartphones, it comes in a giant box, and for a very good reason. And yes, it costs about the same as a premium flagship smartphone at $699.

Inside the box is almost everything you need to turn the Elite X3 into a PC, including a dock that lets you connect the phone to a monitor, mouse, and keyboard, and anything else you connect with USB.

The back of the dock has several ports for pretty much everything you need.

The Elite X3 runs the Windows 10 mobile operating system, which is the key to its special ability to turn into a PC.

The Windows 10 ecosystem has a feature called "Continuum," which transforms the Windows 10 mobile OS from the Elite X3 into the familiar, full-size Windows computer OS on your monitor.

But keep in mind that Continuum isn't quite the same as the full Windows 10 OS, which has an effect on what kind of apps you can use.

However, you can run whatever app you want...for a price.

You can even connect the Elite X3 to the LapDock, which is basically a 12.5-inch screen, keyboard, and trackpad in a laptop package.

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

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Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know