It's official: The Windows phone powerhouse that is the HP Elite x3 is about to hit the shelves in a few weeks' time.
Right off the bat, the 6-inch phablet will hold customers back by $699 when it's bought on its own, and it'll cost buyers $799 when it's packaged together with the Continuum-powered Desk Dock plus a headset.
For the record, the dock has two USB 3.0 ports, one USB-C port and both a DisplayPort and Ethernet port to boot. With Continuum, users can switch screens between the Elite x3 and a connected monitor and access the apps installed on the handset, including but not limited to Microsoft Office tools.
With that said, the bundle is more or less necessary to get the most out of the device. As everyone may recall, it aims to be everyone's PC and phone crammed into one, and without the accessories, it just won't have the right stuff to fulfill its goal.
At any rate, it's still a pretty impressive handset even without the bells and whistles. That's because it's powered by a Snapdragon 820 along with 4 GB worth of RAM. Capacity-wise, it features 64 GB of native storage with microSD card support to add in 2 TB of extra space. To keep the lights on throughout the day, HP loaded it with a massive 4,150 mAh battery pack.
Aside from the powerful components under the hood, it sports a Corning Gorilla Glass 4 to steer clear of scratches and whatnot and an anti-reflective coating, not to mention that it's also built to pass IP67 testing, which means that it'll be resistant to dust and water and be capable of surviving for 30 minutes in about 3 feet of water.
As for the release date, it'll start shipping out on Aug. 29 in the United States.
It should also be pointed out that HP is expected to release the Lap Dock, a laptop that's practically empty inside. It's designed to connect wirelessly to the Elite x3, instantly turning it into a full-fledged computing machine. Availability and pricing for it are yet to be announced, however.
To boil things down, the Elite x3 wants to be the people's phone, desktop and laptop, and on an interesting note, the device is aptly named for the task.
Are you going to nab the Windows phablet when it rolls out? If so, feel free to let us know in the comments section below.
