HTC has released a statement to Pocket-lint about the delays that have hit its flagship smartphone, the HTC One. The newly launched and much-anticipated Android phone was originally due out on 15 March (a day after the announcement of its biggest rival, the Samsung Galaxy S4), but it soon became clear that its release would be delayed across most if not all regions.

Now it will be coming to the UK before the end of March and the US before the end of April. And in its statement, HTC says these delays are down to unexpected demand for the device.

READ: HTC One review

"HTC has seen unprecedented demand for and interest in the new HTC One, and the care taken to design and build it is evidenced in early reviews," it writes. "The new HTC One will roll out in the UK, Germany and Taiwan next week and across Europe, North America and most of Asia-Pacific before the end of April.

"We appreciate our customers’ patience, and believe that once they have the phone in their hands they will agree that it has been worth the wait."

READ: HTC Sense 4+ vs HTC Sense 5: What's the difference?

Certainly, expectations are high. Pocket-lint has awarded the phone a five-star review - a rare maximum score for us - and we're particularly fond of the Sense 5 user interface.

Previously, the delay was blamed on securing the components needed to manufacture the Ultrapixel camera. It's nice, however, to get an official line at last.