Originally posted by alucke
I am in the market for new phone to replace my 950xl. I am currently looking at the elite x3. Does the finger print reader work on the elite x3? How good is the elite x3? Would it be worth upgrading to an elite x3? any help would be appreciated
alucke
After using 950XL since release, and now Elite x3 for a month, I don't miss using the 950XL, which is now my beta tester for RS2. I keep Elite on production release. Depending on how you use your phone, here are my impressions:
Battery life is significantly better on Elite. Typically I have still more than 20% after a 12-13hr of use. I rarely ever need to recharge on the road. Nice to feel that you don't have to carry an external battery pack every time you go out. The Qi and PMA is also nice. While 950 has both too, 950XL only had Qi. I can now go to Starbucks, and use their PMA chargers on the table if I like.
The screen size and device size takes getting used to, but it is better for browsing, video, and even read/type word articles. Colors on it a spot on.
Build quality is better. Solid, doesn't creak, buttons are tight. You should get a case for it. The hp rugged case is tough and still feels sleek. It has a lanyard hole too, so I plan to get one for easier and more secure handling.
Fingerprint scanner is fast, like my work phone 6 that I don't use anymore. The placement is much better than iPhone. Iris scanner is helpful on winter days when I have a glove on. Iris scanner on Elite is faster than 950XL for sure.
Photo quality of Elite is not bad at all in day light. The main weakness is low light noise, focus speed relative to 950XL. Both are not fast for me. My dSLR shoots 14fps with unlimited buffer, so any phone camera is really a painful turtle. I find saving images on HDR on elite freezes a lot, so I don't use it. But saving on 950XL is very slow on HDR, and it hangs and sometimes loses the pic altogether. So I don't really miss the camera on 950XL that much, except the camera button to wake is nice to have.
Tap to pay on 950XL is nice to have if you have a bank that works on it. I used it a handful of times, but some vendors don't support it like CVS for some reasons, but works at Walgreens and Bestbuy. At this point, it is still not popular enough to make a difference. Credit card is in my wallet all the time. The Wallet app loyalty card works on both devices, and I use that more often.
Glance I do miss, but the double tap to wake on Elite is more like raise to wake. Take it out of the pocket, it works all the time. It also wakes when you place it on the desk, which is annoying a bit for me. But if I do need to check lock screen, a slight raise and place back on the desk will do the trick. Hp can probably tune this more in future FW.
Speakers are better on Elite, and they are stereo, one from the ear port and one on bottom. The included headphones are pretty good, much better than 950xl for sure if you got a non US model. US models don't even include headsets. I use Bluetooth wireless headphones daily, and the quality is same as 950.
Haven't used continuum yet, but the desk dock charges really fast. I also got the hp wireless charger, which is a fine looking device but slower of course.
Price is about the same as when 950xl first came out, and online you can get Elite with desk dock for $750 from several places. With the recent $599 deal, I think it is a great value. Funny how no one says iPhone or Samsung are expensive, when they are. Carrier deals make them easier to get for people that don't buy the device in full upfront that's all. So it is not expensive for a premium phone, and it feels comparable to iPhone 6 in everyway. Metal doesn't make it more premium, just more slippery. You have to put a case on it anyway unless you don't care about scratches.
This will be my daily driver for the coming year, until Surface Mobile comes out with RS3 I hope. I get new phones every yr or so, just because I like new tech and have family members that I can off load old devices to and help spread the MS love.
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram