While the HP Elite x3 Windows 10 Mobile phone is expected to start shipping in select countries in the coming weeks, some tech sites managed to get a unit today and we now have more details about how the devices works. The HP Elite x3 is the most high-end Windows phone in the market as of today, and it’s also the first Windows 10 Mobile handset to ship with both an iris scanner and a fingerprint reader.
According to Windows Central, the HP Elite x3 doesn’t ship with the Windows 10 Mobile Anniversary Update. However, the handset is eligible for the Windows Insider Program and you can use this workaround to install the update if you can’t get it via Windows Update (the Windows 10 Mobile Anniversary update could still be rolling out in waves).
HP Elite x3 supports the Insider Program, so can get AU that way.
— Zac Bowden (@zacbowden) August 26, 2016
While Windows Hello support iris scanners in Windows 10 Mobile version 10586 (aka Threshold 2), Windows Central reports that the fingerprint reader on the HP Elite x3 isn’t supported out of the box, it only works after installing the Anniversary Update. Once it’s done, you can find the option in Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options and Windows Hello now lists a “Fingerprint” option above the “Iris (beta)” option. Setting up a finger appears very straightforward, and you can set up more than one finger if you want to. Overall, Windows Central found out that using the fingerprint reader was a slightly faster sign-in option than using the device’s iris scanner.
As fingerprint readers are starting to get mainstream on iOS and Android devices, it’s good to see that Windows 10 Mobile now supports them as they’re a nice alternative to the iris scanners introduced on the Lumia 950 and 950XL. The HP Elite x3 is expected to start shipping in the US on September 12th, but if you live in the UK the store listing on HP.com now indicates “delivery within 48 hours” though this has changed many times over the last few weeks. Let us know in the comments if you think the fingerprint reader on the HP Elite x3 could be one of the handset’s most appreciated features.
