[Real Users] My HP Elite X3 Review

RumoredNow

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Who has an HP Elite X3?

What's the good, the bad and the ugly? How long have you had it and what do you think?

Put your User Review here to help others. The more detail the better, we really appreciate hearing how it performs in the field.

Here is a quick spec sheet.:
5.96" diagonal WQHD (2560x1440), Amoled multi-touch, Corning Gorilla Glass 4, Anti-reflective coating
Snapdragon 820 (2.15 GHz, 4cores)
64 GB internal storage, 4 GB RAM, microSD slot
Fingerprint scanner
16MP f/2.0 FHD rear-facing camera, 8MP FHD front facing camera, Iris camera
4150 mAh battery, Li-Ion

We want to see your in-depth reviews here. Looking forward to seeing both of these threads fill up with Elite X3 goodness!!!
 

indianarash7

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:smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile:



Before I begin to write my review, let me tell you about my love for Windows Phone
I moved into the land of Windows Phone with my Lumia 800 from a HTC Chacha(Facebook Android Phone) in the year 2011 - After that I have owned a Lumia 920, 1020, 1520, (930 for sometime), back to 1520 and then 950 XL (broke my screen), back to 1520 and now finally the beast HP Elite X3. I mentioned all this because my views for Windows Phone could be biased because I love everything about this platform so much over any other platform.
I also owe a Ipad Mini Air 2 - for the apps I dont have on my Windows Eco system


Now about HP Elite X3
The beast of phones -
Design - Although the phone is massive like 1520, it is practically all screen with minimal bezels. There are thin slivers on the side, while the top and bottom extend by roughly a cm to make room for the smartphone's B&O stereo speakers. To be honest it gives you a Premium Feel when you hold in your hand similar to holding an Iphone ( I bet Apple makes the best looking hardware they are really good in Aesthetics) but this phone as I said is no way less.
The build quality is awesome as lancelin2k7 said.

Touch Screen:
As responsive as the Lumia 950XL.- Haven't used the HP Pen though. A little laggy but have not updated to the fast ring waiting for the formal update on 13th December


The windows Hello Iris recognition is similar to the Lumia 950 XL- The finger print sensor not working yet.

Battery:
Its battery life is pretty good. Under normal circumstances, this phone can power you through the day without any problem. Much better than Lumia 950 XL - I think I spoilt/damaged my Lumia's battery by overcharging.

Camera:
I would say as good as Lumia 950 XL but it crashes quite frequently. May be the Anniversary Update fixes that. Also opening the camera app occasionally reboots the phone. Miss the camera button( I knew its a business phone first so no regrets - just miss it)

No overheating problems have been detected on the X3. Unfortunately, myLumia 950 XL has been plagued by overheating issues since the day I got it

Occasionally sharing to WhatsApp crashes

Again as lancelin2k7 said - It's a shame that the pre-installed HP software does nothing... only goes to website links or shows basic device information... Feels like it just wasn't ready to release.



Talking about the App Gap - I think its unrelated to HP Elite X3 but yes that is 1 thing that will determine the success of this Windows Phone - They need Apps - most of the banking apps are missing or are outdated, I dont yet have DJI Phantom Drone app (have to use my Ipad instead), Even the Outlook App on Ios is better with focused and other categories; I dont use google apps but I think google apps are must for this platform to succeed so that people from other platforms starts to migrate, we can survive without google apps but we cannot grow without google apps; Some people will defend that we dont use those apps like Snapchat etc but I think these apps are must/required to complete our ecosystem so that youngsters can move and grow our ecosystem
Continuum is really good to use but minimal apps makes its use minimal. It restarts/reboots occasionally when making conference calls/using camera/ sometimes anytime ( I keep it to myself and probably thinks that it will get better with the Anniversary update but don't know if it will really get better) - Everyone in my family and friends think what crazy person I am - because I am the only one in their close vicinity who uses a Windows phone.

Conclusion:I love this phone and am not going to part or sell it, I will also get a Laptop dock when its available. It occasionally reboots but i still love it, I just pray that 1 day our ecosystem is as complete as the ios/android ecosystem - hoping the Universal Windows Platform is a big success.

At the end:
The phone is must have for all hardcore Windows Phone lovers!

:smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile:
 

realbart

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Summary

Nice prototype. Not ready for market.
If you're a company using many other HP devices, like monitors and printers, this device may have some value in the future.

Yesterday, I recieved my HP Elite x3 with the lap dock. It's a decent looking device. However, I would not recommend anyone buying this phone, especially at this price. There's a number of issues with it:



  • Continuum (the reason I bought it) does not work flawlessly.
    • I managed to get Continuum working with an older phone on my HP laptop. It refuses to connect to the new Elite Phone.
    • There's no way to correct the screen resolution if the device gets it wrong. Both my Roku 3 and my old VGA monitor with an adapter get a screen resolution of 800x600
    • If a screen is connected, there's no way to let the phone act as a second screen. Even when apps are opend on the phone (because they don't work on the monitor) the cannot be operated with the mouse. Which is strange, because without an attached display, a mouse pointer is correctly displayed on the phone.
  • The finger print reader needs additional software to work. HP does not provide this software.
  • The phone frequently crashes when you use the camera.
  • There's a few other things that show HP is not ready for this device. Let's say you want to consult the user manual, because of finger print or cortana issures.
    • The manual is not in the box. Understandable: things change with each version of Windows.
    • Luckily, there is an app: HP Device Hub. It has a link "User Manual". Suppose you click this
    • You see "Please select from a language below" and a list of languages. Shouldn't this default to my phone language? Shouldnt there be buttons instead of links? Luckily the screen is big enough to click the right line. English (US). Or Dutch.
    • You see five nice big buttons, the top one reads "User Guide". That one!
    • A pdf opens...
    • Only one page. "To access the latest user guides or manuals for your product, go to http://www.hp.com/support. Select Find your product, and then follow the on-screen instructions". in many languages. Because of the clik-offset bug, the link is not clickable. So after all this, it tells you "go to the HP site and go look there." No deep link to a documentation page or anyhing.
    • My pdf was opened in Edge, so I could just type this in the address bar. For me, it redirects to HP Klantenondersteuning | HP? Klantondersteuning.
    • From here on, a strange bug occurs. You need to tap about half an inch below the thing you try to select. In my case, I've already got Adobe Reader installed, so I get to pick the app to open the pdf with. I need to tap just below the second option to select the first one! This may be related to the cookie warning.
    • Clicking "find your product" (in dutch: "Zoek uw product") opens a page that has no phones.
    • So you could decide to click the magnifier in the top right corner, and search the HP Elite x3 there.
    • Finally. The same page you can order your device. In the right corner there's al link. "Technical Support / Manuals" (in Dutch: "Technische ondersteuning / Handleidingen"). Click!
    • Page not found ("Pagina niet gevonden")

      For anyone interested: If you click the right thing in the right search boxes, eventually you can get to the HP Elite x3 support page, which is available in English only. This page has a tab that has link to the manual.

  • Warning: by default, the phone only locks after 15 minutes, even if you click the off button. This is not apperent, because it does look for your iris when you swith it on. But you can manually swipe up and access the phone. I only just found out. All this time I thought I was secure...
  • Battery life is far from ideal. You might be able to have it in standby for a day and a half. But if you actually use it, the battery is drained in a few hours.
  • HP Workspace does nothing. You need to call HP to find out about it. So it is definitely just aimed at companies, not for private use.
  • HP Picks shows a list of apps HP thinks you should install. It contains apps that don't even exist, like You Tube.
  • The HP device hub provides a list of useless links that lead nowhere. Like I said: the use manual link basically tells you to google it. I tried to tell HP this using the feedback link. Guess what. "This page is not available".
  • Diagnostics has a nice list of test. I wanted to test if both the left and the right speaker of my phone worked. There's no test for that. It's even worse: if you turned down/off your volume in another app, you cannot even hear sound in the speaker test. Still, it provides you with a basic set of tests.
  • HP AiO Remote should make it possible to send a document to HP printers directly from the device. However, it will only access the printer directly by its IP, and it will not connect through a Windows domain. I haven't gotten it to work yet.

So that's the bad and the ugly.

There's also the good.
  • It's a sturdy device, especially in its silicon casing. I dropped it a few times already; the device does not seem to mind.
  • The screen is big and bright.
  • If you find a suitable monitor, continuum does work.
  • Most apps are present, and for the apps that aren't, pinning the website does the trick. These days, well written mobile websites work just as well or even better than apps.
    That is, unless the site keeps agressivly advertising for the app that either does not exist (I'm looking at you, Pinterest) or is of terrible quality.
 

josephan

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One Week Later With The X3: Now that I have been running around with this phone for a week, it's one of the best phones I ever had, even with all the glitches. I got the folio case three days and it maintains the premium feel of the phone. A concealed magnet keeps the cover closed for falls and the sides are tapered to allow for use with the desk dock. Battery life has been excellent. I'm just so used to charging every night so I don't have a charging schedule yet. I get nervous on day 1.5 when I see the icon level go down but when this phone says 30% left, that's still a really long time. I installed AU, then removed it so I could use the camera. Waiting for firmware+AU. Speakers are so loud I'm not using them at 100% most of the time. Screen is great. It's funny how Apple use to criticize Microsoft people for being drones and zombies but it looks like I'm now the round peg in the square hole. I love this phone so I will be the misfit in the sea of iPhones. Great job HP!

Original Post:

The gang at HP did not have me in mind when they came up with this phone, nonetheless, having grown weary of the quirks of my former Nexus 6P, I ordered the 3X and it arrived yesterday Tennessee to San Diego in two days with HP's free shipping. I lucked out on that one but was glad to save the money for the guaranteed expedited delivery. And so the delivery. As others have commented, the box is something! It's almost like HP wants to tell you, "This thing is powerful as a laptop" so to make the point, your introduction to your purchase is a box bigger than some laptop boxes. It's the total opposite of the tightly packed iPhone brick of a box that fits in the palm of your hand. You hold the 3X box in two hands. Maybe like two Monopoly game boxes. I got the point HP, and I'll find a place in the garage for the box to gather dust. You can either be horrified that so much cardboard was used in packaging or appreciate that HP has definitely taken the road less traveled in terms of cell phone presentation.

The phone feels good in my hands and the screen is sharp and bright. The tiles really pop and there is enough screen space that I have extended the screen to fit the extra column, and I can still read the text on the tiles comfortably. My home screen tiles extend down only another half screen so all my stuff is accessible with a short flick of the finger. The screen reminds me of the Lumia 1520 and it's much better than my Nexus 6P was.

I should say that I had a little trouble getting the SIM port door open. The instructions say use your fingernail and in all reality five minutes wasn't a huge struggle, but I was worried about damaging the plastic tab as I hacked at it with different finger nails, the metal SIM pin from an old phone that I had needlessly prepared, and a pen tip. Eventually the fingernail worked. I wondered if this setup had something to do with the waterproofing. Does that little hole, spring action on most SIM doors let water seep in? Anyway, got my SIM and SD card in.

The phone definitely feels solid in the hand. It feels dense, more like a box of Pop Tarts as compared to a box of Captain Crunch. The chrome speaker grill on the bottom if fine with me. I assume it's some sort of plastic, but it's close enough to the real thing for me not to really worry about it. The great thing about the silver band at the bottom is that you can readily know which side is up when grasping the phone in haste. I wish it had a camera button on the side but I had to settle with a big camera tile as close to that spot for your index finger as possible. I probably take too many pictures anyway, so maybe this is a sign for me to edit my picture taking. In the old days you had to crank your film forward and you only had 24 or 36 shots so waking the phone and tapping the icon is relatively pleasant enough.

Oh, about the camera app. It focuses like a drunk just waking up and it crashed and rebooted the first time I took a picture. I assume that will be fixed in software. I only have the latest general released soft and firmware installed.

The dock is even more dense than the phone. No sliding dock across the desk here no matter what you have plugged into it. It's really thoughtful for HP to include different inserts for the dock still functions if you use the HP wallet, slim or rugged case. There's even an adapter if you want to tether to the dock rather than insert into. (All that stuff takes up the biggest portion of the packaging box)

The sound on this phone is the winner for me. I don't have any acoustic test meters but this has passed my subjective hurdles with flying colors. I like to listen to music or podcasts in the shower. With my Nokia/Android/iPhones, I have resorted to these mini Bluetooth speakers so I can hear with the water running. The podcasts need more volume otherwise I can't make out what they are saying. The best phone for this in the past was the HTC One but the 3X has been the best so far. It is as loud and clear as those mini speakers and I listened to "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me" and I didn't miss a word. Then the 3X's water proofing should help with shower steam! In my kitchen/family room I have a Samsung vacuum tube speaker that I can connect my phone to for sound that fills the two rooms. There's no way the 3X speakers are even close but while cooking dinner last night I found the speakers loud and rich enough to enjoy music without feeling the need to connect it to the external speakers. It's good enough for multitasking background music.

I'm waiting for the wallet case I ordered because the phone is heavy so a fall is bound to put a dent into it. I'm using a big leather case left over from a Galaxy Note or perhaps the Lumia 1520. This case is your typical leather like pouch case with no specific holes for the speakers and you can still hear music or talk from the phone when inside the case.

So, I guess screen and sound are the most important thing to me and these two things really stand out on the 3X. I probably have a different approach to phones and technology than most. I've toiled with installing a 386 chip into a 286 socket. I've driven an hour to find the right SCSI cable. Blue screen of death. Bernoulli drive. Newton 1 and Newton 2. All that stuff had major problems. My first IBM wifi setup in my house cost almost $2000 for the base and cards for two computers and took three days to set up. I guess for me the journey has always been more important than the destination. The 3X may not be completely "finished" but the hardware is outstanding and I'm hoping the software journey will bring it up to speed. I consider myself a technology fan but when the tech is "finished" I get bored so the 3X should hold my attention for awhile. It'll be great for Netflix and music in the car, email and Whats App. I'll try out the continuum (sp?) stuff but I don't really need it. Big screen so my eyes can see and big speakers to hear. Strong to survive the drops. Waterproof to survive steamed up showers. It works for me. Enjoy the journey, no matter what phone you hold on to!
 
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RumoredNow

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... You can either be horrified that so much cardboard was used in packaging or appreciate that HP has definitely taken the road less traveled in terms of cell phone presentation....

... It feels dense, more like a box of Pop Tarts as compared to a box of Captain Crunch...

...In the old days you had to crank your film forward and you only had 24 or 36 shots so waking the phone and tapping the icon is relatively pleasant enough...

...Oh, about the camera app. It focuses like a drunk just waking up and it crashed and rebooted the first time I took a picture. I assume that will be fixed in software...

...So, I guess screen and sound are the most important thing to me and these two things really stand out on the 3X...

...Enjoy the journey, no matter what phone you hold on to!


Wonderfully said.

Thanks for sharing the initial steps in your journey with us.
 

sev7en

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but at the end... in Italy is around 890 euro... I have already a 950XL with Continuum and all the accessories. Does it is better to wait a drop price? I see only cons with that stage of develop.
 

DCW1000

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Not really a full review, but some initial reactions. UPS brought me my new HP x3 yesterday. It took me several hours to get it set up with all my apps and the most recent release of the anniversary update (14393.189), but it is squared away and running. I am for the most part very pleased with it, though I won't retire my 950XL to use this one exclusively. In some ways it is either better or more appealing than the Lumia phone, but in other ways not. I didn't expect the camera to be as sharp, and it isn't. That may improve with future firmware and imaging software updates, but if it doesn't, I still have the better cameras in other devices to back it up. I never travel with just one phone in my pocket.

The phone's specs are fine: 4G RAM, 64G storage, 820 SOC. I ran the Antutu v6 benchmark on it and got 109189; the same test suite on my 950XL gave ratings between 83000 and 84000. My 6S+ still tops all with 128842, but Apple is famous for squeezing top performance out of upper mid-range to slightly high-range processors. Strangely, the fast and powerful x3 seems briefly draggy from time to time. Subjectively, the unit is slow to light up with a fingertip wake. (I don't use iris scans, which strike me as inherently slow anyway.) The fingerprint unlock is smoother on both my 6S+ and Nexus 6P. Still it works more quickly than the 950XL experience of sliding up, waiting for the PIN pad and tapping in the code.

The screen is bright and sharp, which is to say no worse than than the one on the 950 XL and maybe slightly better.

I prefer the feature layout and design of the x3 to that of the 950XL. The power button is on the upper half of the right side and both volume switches below. Locating the 950XL power button between the up and down volume buttons was simply a mistake that should never have been made. Since I am no longer worried about sealed units that won't let you replace a battery, the unitary case design of the HP looks like an improvement. In years past I used to insist on carrying an extra battery for a phone, but after a trouble-free year with the sealed 6P and 6S+, as well as the openable 950XL for which replacement batteries could not even be purchased without ordering abroad, I have realized that openable cases are simply not necessary. It's also good to have a sealed case because that forces the SIM/SD slots to be accessible more conveniently on the side of the case rather than being buried deep inside. There is enhanced water protection from this design as well. The x3 is rated IP67, which is not technically "waterproof," but should allow you up to half an hour to recover your phone from water less than a meter deep.

This isn't intended as a review, so I won't run on. My overall impression is favorable, and I will not be returning it. There is a lot here I want to explore and, if possible, exploit. There are a few design decisions I don't like (the forced choice between a SD card and a second SIM, for example), but in the grand scheme of things there are easy workarounds for minor limitations like that. If I run into serious limitations and disappointments, I will come back and report them.

I will acknowledge the hey-look-at-me packaging without judging the phone on the basis of its container. The enormous box is serious overkill for a phone-and-dock combo, but adjustable interior partitions will probably permit the eventual Lap Dock to be shipped along with the phone and even other accessories as the market for the x3 system matures.
 
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RumoredNow

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I will acknowledge the hey-look-at-me packaging without judging the phone on the basis of its container. The enormous box is serious overkill for a phone-and-dock combo, but adjustable interior partitions will probably permit the eventual Lap Dock to be shipped along with the phone and even other accessories as the market for the x3 system matures.

That's been my thought as well while we go through "Box-Gate" on this site. The packaging likely reflects an all in purchase option for ease of distribution in the Enterprise environment. One box to hand out that contains the phone, desk dock, lapdock, cables/chargers, case, screen protector, etc... One Box to Rule Them All and In The Enterprise Bind Them.

Thanks for the quick write up and have fun with your new Elite X3.
 

sraina

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This phone has promise but is not ready yet! Be prepared to feel frustrated. This is not a full review but I have been using this for about 4 days now.

The battery life is awesome!
Finger print reader is really nice and works great. ( I am on insider release preview OS build: 10.0.14393.189
Issues:

1. I have had a few random reboots
2. The camera issues are really a deal breaker for me - especially after having used Lumias (900, 920, 1020, 830, 950XL)
3. Starbucks app does not work too well. There is a trick to get by for this.
4. Picture quality is average or below average. Have not been able to use the front facing camera
5. The HP mobile hardware diagnostics app crashed on me.
6. Continuum is cool but it works great on 950 XL as well.

The firmware update is supposed to fix these issues - but if it is not released soon, I may just move back to my 950XL. I am surprised that HP has started selling this device. Too many issues for a $800 device. Not good for Windows Phone in general.
 

tgp

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I am really sad to read that... so

So am I. This phone has rekindled my interest in WP. However, it looks like it will take some time at the very least! I've been using Nexus devices and an occasional iPhone the last couple years, so my standards for stability and smoothness are set very high.
 

noelito

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has anyone tried the front facing camera? how good is it? does it have the awful lumia algorithms where it removes color and makes the image drawn out and blurry? how is the front facing camera in low light? this is very important in me choosing whether or not to purchase this
 

Daniel Rubino

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has anyone tried the front facing camera? how good is it? does it have the awful lumia algorithms where it removes color and makes the image drawn out and blurry? how is the front facing camera in low light? this is very important in me choosing whether or not to purchase this

dan-iphone-elite.jpg

One of these is the iPhone 7 Plus, the other Elite x3.
 

mmcpher

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"'I see everything twice!' Pandemonium broke loose in the ward again."


My front facing camera works fine, apart from the mug staring back at me, on 10.0.14936.1000. When can we expect to see the x3 among WPC's Top Forums and Trending Now?
 

josephan

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I guess the top is the Elite X3. Since the aperture is smaller on the X3 I would expect the exposure to be darker. I like the image quality and tone of both but it looks like the bottom sensor is more sensitive. (One day cameras will all produce perfect images from a sensor the size of a pin point that produces images from sonic waves and gravity distortion and people will have to apply Photoshop filters named Nikon D3, Canon D1, Lumia 1020, iPhone 1, or HP Elite X3 just to give their pictures some arty flare!)
 
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Daniel Rubino

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The top is the Elite x3 ?

Correct.

Certainly, the bottom is 'brighter', but to me, it is more artificial with some SW to amp up the brightness. Still, the Elite x3's FF camera is better than I expected and I think it's better than the Lumias at 8MP.
 

Narathan

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I've had this phone for a meager two days but I have to say this is a beautiful phone in every way so far. I'm comparing it to my 950XL for now...

It's running on the latest RS2 insider build together with the latest firmware. Had some trouble updating at first and WDRT didn't reconize the phone but that fixed itself after it updated to AU.

  • It's bigger then the 950XL, but it hold/fits better in the hand because of the tapered corners. the 950XL is really sharp and unconfortable to hold, personally;
  • It's pretty light for it's size!
  • It absolutely DESTROYS the 950XL when it comes to battery life. My 950XL would be dead around 22:00, the x3 is around 45% atm;
  • It doesn't heat up at all. Seriously, sometimes my 950XL was unconfortable hot to hold after doing some WhatsApp'ing;
  • Apps launch faster;
  • Fingerprint scanner is a godsend - so good. Haven't tried Iris scanner but at this point I'm reveling in the glory that is fingerprint unlocking (<0.5 sec)
  • Lots of curious people looking at you. Very positive reactions.

While the camera isn't as good as the 950XL's, photo's made during the day really aren't that bad in all fairness. They seem less "vivid" or oversaturated if that makes any sense. More close to natural. When it comes to taking pictures at noon however, the camera just doesn't seem to be able to focus the moment you make the photo, which is strange since it focusses just fine, albeit a little slow as you point it at the object you want to shoot. Maybe I'm just unlucky?

Phone speakers volume seems a little on the low side, but it doesn't sound tinny. It's definitly not HTC Boom Audio but it beats the 950XL rear speaker (just not in loudness).

Also, the haptic feedback is amazing. I know, weird to mention, but its so satisfying compared to the Lumia's I've had. It's a bit like the HTC One M8 I've had and loved. Just don't put it on a wooden desk because half the floor will know when you're being texted by your ADHD friend.
 

noelito

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Neither has the washed out color look of the lumia so that's good I guess this is a guessing game for me ha. Heading to microsoft store and hopefully find it on display
 

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