HP Planning to Launch High-End Windows Phone Hybrid Next Month
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In the midst of struggling Windows Phone sales, HP is releasing its hybrid Elite X3 late next month.
HP’s newest flagship is the company’s first smartphone in over two years. While the smartphone is a phablet, HP hopes that it could double as a Windows computer for users.
To do so, the Elite X3 make use of Microsoft’s Continuum feature, which will allow it to shift into a Windows environment when connected to a monitor and a dock, according to Engadget.
The phone, which was first announced in February, will feature a 5.96-inch screen and Gorilla Glass 4. It’ll ship with dual-SIM card slots, a 16-megapixel rear camera, and an 8-megapixel, front-facing camera, according to Windows Central.
The Elite X3 will also have 4 gigabytes of memory, and 64 gigabytes of internal storage — which can be supplemented with up to 2 terabytes of expandable storage, according to PC World.
HP has had a tragic history in the smartphone market — including the failed acquisition of PDA-manufacturer Palm. And on top of HP’s prior market failures, the Elite X3 will be hitting shelves in the middle of what seems like a death spiral for Windows Phones.
In the fourth quarter of 2015, Windows Phone sales dropped to 4.4 million units — giving the operating system just over 1 percent of the market, according to Engadget. Similarly, Inquisitr reported that Windows Phone revenue dropped by 49 percent in the second quarter of this year.
So, quite appropriately, Engadget calls the phone a “gamble.”
But while Microsoft is slowly adjusting its focus away from its smartphone brand, releases like the Elite X3 will keep the Windows Phone operating system alive — at least for the time being.
But make no mistake, with its specs and price, the Elite X3 is a premium handset — and one that the company probably hopes will compete with the likes of Samsung and Apple.
The Elite X3 will hit shelves on Aug. 29, and will retail for $699. It will also be available in a bundle — with a headset and a dock, which will allow it to morph into a computer — for $799.
