I thought it worth enumerating some of the major improvements in terms of the Elite X3's software since my initial month with the device back in July/August:
- Windows 10 Mobile updated to Redstone (a.k.a. 'Anniversary Update'), build 10.0.14393.321 (so bang up to date with all other production W10M devices)
- Optimisations for the Snapdragon 820 chipset mean that everything's faster and smoother throughout the interface.
- The fingerprint scanner now works, both for waking the screen and authenticating, in one quick touch.
- Double-tap-to-wake introduced, based on accelerometer data rather than on capacitive touch (which is, in 'Yes Minister' fashion, a 'courageous' choice(!), and is fiddly to set up to your liking, not helped by having to reboot the X3 between each tiny change to the sensitivity sliders!)
- The battery charging LED is enabled, red when charging and green when fully charged.
- The camera is now much faster and focus is more reliable. I'll come to actual performance and detailed specifications in a future review part.
Put these together and the Elite X3 is certainly now usable as a day-to-day smartphone, which is why it'll be in my pocket over the next month. Watch this space for review parts:
- Hardware and components
- Office, Continuum and HP Workspace
- Camera and multimedia
- On the road: with the HP Lapdock
- Verdict: into 2017 with the X3