After shuttering its Nokia division, Microsoft has so far been content in partnering with third-party handset manufacturers to bring Windows-powered phones to the market. If rumors are true, then its next project will involve HP and the output of this collaboration will potentially get a February 2017 release.

New Windows 10 Phone

There is really nothing much to say about the new Windows 10 phone. However, the partnership has been confirmed by at least two sources.

In the partnership, HP will purportedly cover the bulk of the work involved, which includes the manufacture and sale of the handset. Microsoft takes a lesser role by helping foot the bill for the product development, perhaps throwing in some technical input in the process. This should probably eliminate the device as a potential Surface phone.

HP Elite X3 Successor?

HP is not exactly a major handset manufacturer so there is very little insight on the company's smartphone production cycle. But in looking at its handsets in the market, it seems that the new device could very well be the successor to the HP Elite X3, which was announced last February.

One can say that the one-year gap indicates that the new phone will indeed debut within the rumored schedule. It is important to note, however, that the Elite X3 was launched nearly two years after the release of its predecessor.

Rumored Phone Features And The Lumia Pedigree

The dearth of leaks means that the Microsoft-HP collaboration is running a really tight ship. Fortunately for fans, some bits of information seem to have recently escaped. According to GSM Arena, the handset will borrow some features from the Lumia such as Glance Screen and double tap to wake. The Glance feature displays time and notifications, including calls, messages and social media updates when the screen is off.

Both of the leaked features are also seen in Android devices. But these, nonetheless, have prompted observers to assume that it is the device that Microsoft recently announced internally.

Some more remnants of Lumia technology could also make their appearances. For example, Tech Times has recently reported a proprietary fingerprint scanner technology, which Microsoft could implement on a new Surface phone. This information is largely based on a patent called "Fingerprint Detection with Transparent Cover." It was filed by Microsoft last year but was only published in August.

Hardware Specs, Pricing

If you are hungry for information on hardware specs, you could always turn to the Elite X3's hardware for insights. The device uses the Snapdragon 820 processor and 4 GB of RAM. As a new iteration in the range, the new phone will certainly ship with improved internals, potentially including a Snapdragon 835 and 6 GB of RAM. With these under the hood, the new HP Elite Windows phone could take on any flagship Android device or the iPhone 7 when it comes to performance.

In terms of pricing, the expectation is that it will be consumer-friendly. The HP Elite X3 has been tagged as a business phone because of its high price point. A number of Windows users avoided it like the plague, which explained its lackluster sales performance.