From left to right, Lumia 950 XL, HP Elite x3, Alcatel IDOL 4S 'with Windows 10'; missing is the Acer Jade Primo*
* It's not clear what went wrong with the Jade Primo. I don't think Acer's heart was in it, even though you can still buy this from most Microsoft stores online. Middling specs, middling design and a lack of obvious commitment to updates from Acer, plus (from our point of view) a complete absence of engagement with the media, all helped to ensure that this was a phone that very few people ever reviewed or featured.
Availability is, yes, patchy. The Lumia 950 XL, now 18 months old, ceased production towards the end of the year and isn't listed on Microsoft's web site anymore in many countries. Yet there are loads for sale on third party retailers like Amazon UK, and at very good prices (typically £315 in the UK, including VAT). The Elite x3 is still made and sold by HP, of course, though prices remain high, since this is aimed at businesses in the main and therefore plays by different pricing rules. While the Alcatel IDOL 4S 'with Windows 10' - or 'Pro' - depending on whether you want one now and live in North America or can wait and live in Europe, is well enough priced but much harder to find/import.
Making the comparison slightly less relevant than if all these were fighting it out on the High Street on a level playing field. But Windows Phone and Windows 10 enthusiasts will still be interested on seeing whether there's a top dog, and whether it's the same as I picked out in 'part 1'!
Here we go then. I can't really avoid a table here, but I've kept it as narrow as possible - if you're viewing on a phone screen then you'll definitely want to try it in landscape mode! As with other features, I've marked out obvious 'wins' in green:
| Lumia 950 XL | HP Elite x3 | Alcatel IDOL 4S Pro | |
| OS | Windows 10 Mobile | Windows 10 Mobile | Windows 10 Mobile |
| Price now in UK | £320 inc VAT | £500 plus VAT | Unknown in this guise! |
| Construction | Polycarbonate, back shell is replaceable |
Polycarbonate, sealed |
Aluminium chassis, glass front and back |
| Dimensions | 152 x 78 x 8mm, 165g | 162 x 83 x 8mm, 195g | 154 x 75 x 7mm, 152g |
| Chipset | 2.0GHz Snapdragon 810 64-bit octacore 'Liquid cooling' |
2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 64-bit quad core |
2.2GHz Snapdragon 820 64-bit quad core |
| GPU | Adreno 430 | Adreno 530 | Adreno 530 |
| Connectivity | LTE Dual SIM option NFC |
LTE plus dual SIM (if microSD unused) NFC |
LTE NFC |
| RAM | 3GB | 4GB | 4GB |
| Display | 5.7" AMOLED QHD (1440p) ClearBlack Display Glance screen Gorilla Glass 4 |
5.96" AMOLED QHD (1440p) |
5.5" AMOLED 1080p Dragontrail Glass |
| Storage | 32GB, plus microSD | 64GB, plus microSD | 64GB, plus microSD |
| Camera | 20MP, PureView with oversampling down to 8MP 1/2.4", f/1.9 PDAF Fifth generation OIS Triple LED flash 4K capture Dedicated capture key |
16MP, f/2.0 1080p capture Single LED flash 4K capture |
21MP, f/2.2 PDAF Dual LED flash 4K capture |
| Front camera | 5MP | 8MP |
8MP |
| Cabling & charging |
USB Type-C (up to 5Gb/s) USB 3 standard power delivery Qi wireless |
USB Type-C (up to 5Gb/s) USB 3 standard power delivery Qi and PMA wireless |
USB Type-C USB 3 standard power delivery |
| Battery | 3300mAh replaceable | 4150mAh sealed | 3000mAh sealed |
| Speaker | Rear-mounted, mono | Front-mounted, stereo Bang & Olufson branding |
Front-mounted, stereo JBL-branded |
| Biometrics | Infrared iris-scanner | Infrared iris-scanner and fingerprint reader (back) |
Fingerprint reader (back) |
| Durability | No special certifications, but back comes off for easy access to components |
IP67 liquid and dust, shockproof | No special certifications |
| Other |
Continuum-ready |
Continuum-ready Several dock options available, |
Continuum-ready No official dock, but works |
There's a definite emphasis here on the 'phablet' form factor. I've said many times that Windows 10 runs best if you give it more real estate - we saw this from the start on the Lumia 1520, which was the archetypal test device for the new OS version. Get over the need for two hands to hold and operate, and the experience is very swish indeed and never cramped.
The HP and Alcatel designs are both higher specified in terms of internals, but the playing field is very level overall. The extra horsepower and extra GB of RAM in the x3 and IDOL 4S make negligible difference when running Windows 10 Mobile, especially under the slicker new Creators Update (Redstone 2), though the IDOL 4S only has to drive a 1080p screen and should, in theory, be the fastest.
While the Lumia 950 XL scores extra points for the replaceable backs (e.g. Mozo) and the possibility of putting in a spare or new battery, plus a ZEISS-lensed camera which knocks spots off the other two OIS-less imaging units when the going gets tough.
The Alcatel IDOL 4S 'with Windows 10' in North America - soon to be the IDOL 4S Pro in Europe.
Then we come to audio and the Elite x3's introduction to Windows 10 Mobile of front stereo speakers gets massively outgunned by the far louder and higher fidelity JBL-branded speakers on the IDOL 4S.
In short, though the 'green' table cell count pronounces the Elite x3 as the smartphone with it 'all', by 6 wins to 3 apiece, the x3 is also around twice the price. But there are positives to be found for each flagship, they have subtly different strengths and characters.
The Elite x3 therefore takes the crown - but only by a whisker, this time round. I'm equally happy with the Lumia 950 XL and I suspect I'm going to be just as happy with the IDOL 4S Pro when it appears over here - I'm a sucker for great stereo speakers!
Comments welcome.
PS. Should you want more, much more review coverage of the three handsets featured here, see:
The classic Nokia/Microsoft Lumia 950 XL, with its unusual (for 2017) replaceable battery...