Switching to HP Elite X3

[Behdad Eslamieh]

hey guys,
recently i want to buy this phone
but i'm a android guy and i haven't had any windows phone in my whole life :sweaty:
so is it going to be a good experience with windows phone? especially with hp elite x3?
i heard a tonne of negative opinion about this phone
such as having lots of lags, regular camera, complaining about some function like raise to wake, double tap to wake and etc.
but i'm pretty sure they will gone with updates!
so what do you think? is it a good idea to switch to WP?

 

[Daniel Rubino]

Depends on your needs. Obviously, the app-gap is a real thing and there are some big social apps like Snapchat that are not available.

Since the new firmware the x3 has been very stable. there will be another FW update in the next month. Double Tap and Raise to Wake are being worked on, remains to be seen if they will be good or not, but they can be disabled.

I think it's the best Windows Mobile you can buy today. The only area where it lags is the camera is not as good as the 950/XL, but we all knew that going in. It's still capable.

Shorter answer: Hardware is great; it's the OS you need to worry about.

 

[Scienceguy Labs]

Before you drop your hard-earned cash on the X3, I'd suggest that you pick up a used 640 or 640XL. You can even grab a pristine 1520 that I'm selling in the marketplace to get to know W10M. I'm keeping a close eye on the X3, myself, but I'm having a really hard time justifying the price. I think it's a fair price if you plan to utilize the Continuum aspect of it, but I just want a high-end Windows Phone, not necessarily a high-end Windows Phone that can extend my workplace to wherever I might be. I'm totally impressed with those capabilities, but they just aren't what I'm needing at the moment. Regardless, there's absolutely nothing wrong with testing the W10M waters with a less expensive device before jumping in head first with the X3. Good luck with your decision.

 

[Behdad Eslamieh]

Depends on your needs. Obviously, the app-gap is a real thing and there are some big social apps like Snapchat that are not available.

Since the new firmware the x3 has been very stable. there will be another FW update in the next month. Double Tap and Raise to Wake are being worked on, remains to be seen if they will be good or not, but they can be disabled.

I think it's the best Windows Mobile you can buy today. The only area where it lags is the camera is not as good as the 950/XL, but we all knew that going in. It's still capable.

Shorter answer: Hardware is great; it's the OS you need to worry about.

thanks for your fast replying!
you know i'm not a social boy i just use Telegram and Instagram and Spotify and sometimes once a weak i play asphalt 8 on my phone and i think all of them are available in store!
do you have this phone? how is the battery life? will it last a day with heavy use?
about camera it's not bad actually. can you take some photo with selfie camera?

 

[Behdad Eslamieh]

Before you drop your hard-earned cash on the X3, I'd suggest that you pick up a used 640 or 640XL. You can even grab a pristine 1520 that I'm selling in the marketplace to get to know W10M. I'm keeping a close eye on the X3, myself, but I'm having a really hard time justifying the price. I think it's a fair price if you plan to utilize the Continuum aspect of it, but I just want a high-end Windows Phone, not necessarily a high-end Windows Phone that can extend my workplace to wherever I might be. I'm totally impressed with those capabilities, but they just aren't what I'm needing at the moment. Regardless, there's absolutely nothing wrong with testing the W10M waters with a less expensive device before jumping in head first with the X3. Good luck with your decision.

what's your opinion about 950xl?
i know it's not as good as hp in terms of specs but is it a good phone? what are the pros and cons?

 

[libra89]

thanks for your fast replying!
you know i'm not a social boy i just use Telegram and Instagram and Spotify and sometimes once a weak i play asphalt 8 on my phone and i think all of them are available in store!
do you have this phone? how is the battery life? will it last a day with heavy use?
about camera it's not bad actually. can you take some photo with selfie camera?

I'm not Daniel, but he does have it and he's shared a lot around these forums. From what he has shared, it seems to have amazing battery life.

Instagram generally has the same features. Spotify is missing Discover Weekly playlist I believe, and I don't use Telegram to help you there.
He took a selfie and posted it here. The top one is the x3.

 

[Scienceguy Labs]

what's your opinion about 950xl?
i know it's not as good as hp in terms of specs but is it a good phone? what are the pros and cons?

I've had a couple of 950XLs, and I've really liked them. The camera is excellent. The screen is simply gorgeous. The size is perfect for most one handed use. Navigating the UI on the XL is pretty snappy, but it can get a little sluggish every once in a while. It's a really good phone that was released a bit too early and got a really bad reputation at first. Currently, it's a very stable device.
Now, my 950XL complaints. Ha ha
The reasons I liked the 950XL far outnumber my reasons for not liking it. There are only three really...
1. It can get really warm with extended use. I mean really warm.
2. The size and weight were not right for me. I like big phones that have some heft to them. My 1520 felt solid and it had a big screen. Right now, I'm using a 7 inch Honor X2 as my phone. So, compared to those, my XL just felt like a toy in my hand. That's a personal con for me, though. Some people like phones with as little mass as possible.
3. Windows Hello iris scanner, while cool and fast most of the time, simply failed to load at times. No biggie. I know it's in beta, but I really wanted it to work more reliably. I'm sure it'll get better with time.

Hope that helps.

 

[Behdad Eslamieh]

I've had a couple of 950XLs, and I've really liked them. The camera is excellent. The screen is simply gorgeous. The size is perfect for most one handed use. Navigating the UI on....

thanks for your help
so i think you choose lumia over hp? right?
i like big phones but 6" display i don't think so
and on the other hand i spend most of my time texting so heavy phone is not good for me
some question about 950xl
how fast is iris scanner? is it reliable? how many times does it fail to scan?
and what about battery life? will it survive at the end of the night with heavy use?
sorry for too many questions

 

[Scienceguy Labs]

As of right now, I'd stick with the Lumia phones, but if the price of the X3 comes down to what I consider reasonable, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
The 950XL is definitely an easier phone to handle due to its weight, so you'll be happy with that, for sure.
For the most part, the iris scan function worked fairly reliable for me on the XL. I'd say, 90% success rate. I'm estimating there. The speed is not as fast as a fingerprint reader, but it's not exactly slow. I'd say the phone unlocked for me in no more than two seconds, max, using the scanner. If you're quick with typing your unlock code, you'd probably beat the iris scanner or come very close. To me, typing in my code felt more natural than holding the phone in front of my face at just the right angle for the iris scanner. Now, the more you let the scanner "get to know you" in different lightings and settings, the quicker it will unlock your phone I imagine. So, part of my thoughts on the iris scanner stem from me not calibrating it as well as it could be calibrated. The scanner functionality will improve, though, I'm sure.
Battery life....well, it all depends. Screen brightness, screen on time, etc, etc. What I call heavy use might not be for you, but after a day's worth of checking emails, texting periodically, a little Instagram, a few Facebook reads, and a few calls, I'd end up with 20% or less at bed time (10:30pm or so). So, out of the bed at 5:00 am with 100%. Back in bed at 10:30 or so with 20% or less. Also, I have wifi and Bluetooth on all the time.

No problem. Keep asking questions if you need to do so.

 

[WP7Nettwerk]

I'm returned to Windows Phone after 3 years more or less. I really miss minimalism UI. For me app gap is 0%. What I need it has on Windows Phone. Sure some nice apps are missing or not working as should do but you can find alternative. I have Lumia 950XL now. Build quality isn't so good as Lumia Icon/930 (rest of world). Speaker is bad. Maybe this is only to me. Iris scanner is funny thing. It just work. For me 90% pass. In right distance in any light condition it can check.

 

[loudog3114]

I suggest you buy a Lumia 1520 for 100 bucks, use it for a month, then think about it. That is still a fantastic phone, and will give you a very real indication as to whether or not you can be a WM person or not.

Put down your other phone and force yourself to use the 1520. If at the end of the month you're OK with it and can get everything you need to get done, done, you're probably safe investing the money in the elite x3.

 

[alodar101]

hey guys,
recently i want to buy this phone
but i'm a android guy and i haven't had any windows phone in my whole life :sweaty:
so is it going to be a good experience with windows phone? especially with hp elite x3?
i heard a tonne of negative opinion about this phone
such as having lots of lags, regular camera, complaining about some function like raise to wake, double tap to wake and etc.
but i'm pretty sure they will gone with updates!
so what do you think? is it a good idea to switch to WP?

First and foremost, be wary of people making claims who have not touched the phone. Look more to those, like Daniel, but, quite a few others....who have the phone. Comparisons to the lumia phones, and recommends to the 640, etc will NOT describe this phone. The 1520 or the 950xl will show you a hard working Windows phone that can be used every day. But also be very aware of the things Daniel says....the App Gap is real. Do not play this down. You will not get what Apple or Android does in the app store. PERIOD. Physically, its nicer than any other Windows Phone, other than the 1520. But, go, try it yourself....and remember, the warnings....and don't listen to the "This phone sucks" comments, sent by people on Android Tapatalk....

PS

 

[RobertP1]

I suggest you buy a Lumia 1520 for 100 bucks, use it for a month, then think about it. That is still a fantastic phone, and will give you a very real indication as to whether or not you can be a WM person or not.

Put down your other phone and force yourself to use the 1520. If at the end of the month you're OK with it and can get everything you need to get done, done, you're probably safe investing the money in the elite x3.

That is great advice! You need to know if you are a Windows guy first!!

 

[xyaqubx]

I was also devoted Android user , mainly Samsung Note series, about 2 month ago I tried 950 XL , I quite liked whole system, but didn't like how cheaply phone was done. Then I came back to my Note 5, then got Note 7, during time when I was waiting for replacement ( after first recall) I decided to give a try to HP Elite X3, I been using it before Anniversary Update and still liked , update made it better, then I received replacement for Note 7 and returned Elite X3,2 days later second recall Note 7 was announced , straight away I bough another Elite X3 and now this will be my primary phone. I missing some apps, mainly Amazon Prime Now, DPD UK app, but funny thing when I returned to Note 7 I was missing some apps from Windows Store, Tweetium, NextGen Reader, Diarium, I realised advantage of Universal apps over Android only apps. I never really been Chrome user, so my Android apps been restricted to phone only. Now I have same apps on my Laptop, phone and Xbox and they sync with each other. Someone said to me that I gone to another ecosystem similar to Apple , for me Windows platform is total different experience, much more unrestricted.
As for the HP Elite X3, battery is amazing, screen also, love the Windows tiles which giving straight away lots information without opening applications. Sharing things between apps could be little painful but I got used to. Camera sometimes is like work in progress, but still got huge potential, you can check my Instagram : yaqubjakub - recent photos are done with HP Elite X3. Hope this will help.

 

[kristalsoldier]

I think Daniel put it well. The key to your decision will have to be the OS and not the hardware. Based on what you have posted, it appears that OS-wise you are ok. Others have mentioned about your most used app. I use Telegram a lot. I do this on a 950XL. For the most part Telegram works fine (I have it on my other devices too). But the UI is really dated and sometimes the app is just simply flaky (not usually, but sometimes it can be).

Now, about the hardware. Highend, you have two options - x3 and the 950XL. Again, as others have already pointed out and as you may very well know, the target audience for these two devices are very different. While the x3 is obviously enterprise focused, the 950XL is more - well, let's call it "prosumer" focused. This probably accounts for some of the differences between the two - camera for example which is better on the 950XL as compared to the x3. OTOH, the core specs of the x3 (aside from the SoC which is newer) are better than the 950XL but this incremental capability is there to serve the enterprise market, which is increasingly deemed to be Continuum-driven.

Aesthetically, it is pointless to comment aside from mentioning one's own preference (i love the minimalism of the 950XL and the proportions including weight is ideal for me). Your preferences will no doubt guide you.

From what I have read of what Daniel and others have said and written about the build quality of the x3, it appears to be very good and that is to be expected. Interesting features like some amount of water proofing etc make the x3 attractive. In my opinion, the build quality of the 950XL is also very good. While some have reported creaking back panels, I have not encountered the same. I have also dropped my phone - which remains unprotected by any case or cover - a few times, and it has held up admirably. Or, maybe, I was simply lucky.

Yes, the 950XL does warm up a bit. And, in my specific case, running the latest Insiders Preview (.321), I think the battery life has decreased marginally, but then again, I have been witness to such fluctuations ever since I have been on the Insiders' Program.

So, there you have it! Good luck!

 

[karlo88]

thanks for your help
so i think you choose lumia over hp? right?
i like big phones but 6" display i don't think so
and on the other hand i spend most of my time texting so heavy phone is not good for me
some question about 950xl
how fast is iris scanner? is it reliable? how many times does it fail to scan?
and what about battery life? will it survive at the end of the night with heavy use?
sorry for too many questions

I tried a 950XL for a couple weeks, returned it, and have been trying the X3 for about a week. I'm not using it as a phone yet; may never. I use it for browsing, news, streaming YouTube.

Battery is great. Much better than the 950XL. I get perhaps 10 hours.

Iris scanner is faster and more reliable than that of the 950XL. Well, I haven't tried fooling it with another set of eyes. But works for me.

I've been using a 1020 for over two years. I don't miss Glance.

I like the bigger screen. I'd love for the next version to be a 7" screen in the same form factor. Should be possible if HP uses an edge to edge display.

I miss the Lumias' hardware shutter button, and the ability to quickly open the camera app by holding it down, without having to wake phone with a power button, then swipe-navigate to the camera button in the drop-menu.

 

[RobertP1]

I don't understand why they skimped on the Camera. Why have this totally high-end device and not have the best camera possible. How much more would that have cost them?

I would like to invest in the X3 but the Camera is very important to me

 

[techiez]

How much more would that have cost them?

Quite much in R&D.

 

[Daniel Rubino]

Quite much in R&D.

Yup. They did hire some good people, but time and money is an issue. You can't just catch up/surpass Nokia imaging in one device. And throwing money at it with no expectation in return is also not an option.

 

[techiez]

Yup. They did hire some good people, but time and money is an issue. You can't just catch up/surpass Nokia imaging in one device. And throwing money at it with no expectation in return is also not an option.

Yes indeed makes sense to dip their toes to test the waters instead of diving head first.