MWC 2016 News & Update: HP Elite X3 Can Turn A Smartphone Into A Wire-Free Laptop

In Barcelona, at the Mobile World Congress, HP announced its decision to return to the smartphone market with the Elite X3.

Given HP's history of failure in the market for mobile phones, the decision wasn't an easy one, according to Info World. HP's acquisition of Palm in 2010 ended up by weighing heavily on the company.

After HP's high hopes for Palm's WebOS for smartphones ended with a failure, there were many internal discussions over the feasibility of a return to the market. However, HP's management had to conclude in the end that smartphone buyers could not be ignored. Since they can almost match laptops in the sorts of software they can run and in their horsepower, smartphones are playing a larger role in computing.

Now, HP decided to take a cautious approach by establishing a three-year timeline for success. According to Michael Park, HP general manager and global head of mobility for enterprises, HP is targeting the Elite X3 but is also open to launching a consumer handset. Elite X3 runs Windows 10 Mobile and has a 5.96-inch screen.

By positioning it as a smartphone that can double as a laptop, HP is trying to differentiate the Elite X3 from the competition. According to Park, users can plug in a mouse, keyboard and screen, and turn the Elite X3 into a laptop.

Previous efforts to introduce smartphones or tablets with similar capabilities have failed. However, according to Park, the advances in technology have allowed to develop a smartphone that when needed it can transform in a laptop.

The HP Elite X3 features one of the fastest mobile chips available, Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor. The chip is three times faster than similar processors from three years ago and it is also used in tablets and PCs. The Windows 10 OS, Park said, allows smartphones to access desktop applications from the cloud and lets developers to create universal applications running across multiple platforms.

A detailed overview of the specs and features available in the new HP smartphone is available on the company's website. The pricing and a specific release date for the Elite X3 are still unknown.