Before Microsoft can even put out the Microsoft Surface Phone, HP released its own version of the smartphone powerhouse called the Elite x3, which is believed to give the Redmond-based company's offering a run for its money.

The newly introduced handset is a powerful Windows 10 smartphone. It boasts a monstrous 6-inch Quad HD AMOLED display and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with 4GB RAM. It has a mighty a 4150 mAh battery to keep the lights on.

The Elite x3 also comes with innovative features including outstanding encryption, a fingerprint scanner and an iris scanner. The Microsoft Surface Phone is rumored to come with an iris scanner only, which puts it behind HP's new heavyweight already.

To make the Elite x3 ultimately powerful, HP put together a laptop (sans the internals) called Mobile Extender, which, as what its name suggests, comes only with a display and a keyboard that serves as the extension of the Windows 10 device.

According to reports, the impressive specs sheet of the HP Elite x3 should compel Microsoft to push the envelope in creating the Microsoft Surface Phone. After all, there's a lot riding on the device, including the company's prospect to rise to the smartphone occasion.

Microsoft Surface Phone specs rumors have been suggesting the same set of specs for the device, except for the display size, which is deemed too big for the flagship. On the whole, users and experts expect Microsoft to step up their game.

With what HP just put out, Microsoft will have to do better in order to steal the thunder. While it is still unclear how the Microsoft Surface Phone could possibly trounce the Elite x3, users believe the tech giant's Surface team led by Panos Panay will figure things out.

The Microsoft Surface Phone is rumored to be launched later this year at the earliest.