Multi-window Android on an Alcatel all-in-one? Meet the Xess 17

By Jon Martindale Published February 26, 2016

alcatel xess 17 pc — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Phoenix OS, which turns Google’s Android platform into something that works well on desktop, has found itself a hardware partner in Acatel. Together they’ve launched the Xess 17, an all-in-one PC that runs the Android-based operating system and offers desktop features like multi-window support and a taskbar.

All of that is contained in quite a smart little package. The Alcatel Xess features a slimline silver chassis with a built-in stand, containing a 17.3-inch, 1080p, IPS-touchscreen display, a MediaTek MT8783T octa-core CPU, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage (as per Liliputing).

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All of that is powered by a 10,000mAh battery which makes the system portable, and there’s even a stylus clipped behind the stand for those who prefer a digital pen.

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To give people an idea of how it all runs, Alcatel brought along the all-in-one to Mobile World Congress, the first time the hardware has run Phoenix OS in public. Despite the interesting CPU choice, reports state that the Xess runs well and should offer an interesting option for those looking for a compact system that doesn’t run Windows or OSX.

With an intended launch sometime in the second quarter of 2016, we still don’t have much word on pricing. However, we do know that the European release will come later, so our friends across the pond will have a bit longer to wait to get their hands on it.

Of course Phoenix isn’t the only operating system that makes Android a little more user friendly for those looking for a desktop experience. We previously looked at Remix OS which offers something quite similar. There are even options to get it running on the miniature Jide systems. Don’t expect the performance to be as strong as this new Alcatel piece of kit, but the option is there at least.

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Jon Martindale is a freelance evergreen writer and occasional section coordinator, covering how to guides, best-of lists, and…

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