HTC has officially launched its new flagship Android phone and it will be available to buy from today in the UK from a number of retailers and networks.

The HTC One (M8), as it is officially called, HTC One to its mates, is a replacement for the current flagship handset from the company. The original HTC One will now be rebranded HTC One (M7) to prevent confusion as that will remain on sale at a cheaper price.

Plenty of improvements have been made in the year since the first HTC One was released, not least in processing. The HTC One (M8) features a 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor and 2GB of RAM. Its screen has experienced a slight bump in size, to 5-inches and its 1920 x 1080 resolution equates a 441ppi.

READ: HTC One (M8) review

The phone comes with Android 4.4 from the box, and HTC's new Sense 6.0 layer, which includes the latest version of BlinkFeed. However, perhaps the biggest new feature comes around the back of the device, in the shape of a second camera lens and sensor.

The Duo Camera functionality uses the same UltraPixel snapper from the original HTC One, combined with a second camera dedicated to depth. This allows you to change the focus after a shot has been taken to make clear a separate segment of the photo. You can also add different effects for different layers of an image, and there are plenty of new modes and options on board to alter final results.

HTC has also bumped the front-facing (selfie) camera up a notch or two, with a 5-megapixel sensor running the show. It is capable of 1080p video recording, as is the rear cam. However, although the new Qualcomm processor is capable of 4K video recording and playback, the UltraPixel sensor is not.

READ: HTC One (M8) vs HTC One (M7): What's the difference?

The phone's build is more solid than ever before, with a machined aluminium rear casing that wraps around the sides. It measures 146.36 x 70.6 x 9.35mm and weighs 160g. There will be three colour options available from suppliers: gunmetal grey, arctic silver and amber gold.

Motion Launch is another new feature debuting on the HTC One (M8). It means that the phone is "always-on" in a passive power mode. You can therefore wake it by double tapping on the screen. A double tap also puts it back to sleep. There are other gestures available too, such as swiping from left to right will open BlinkFeed.

READ: HTC One (M8) vs Samsung Galaxy S5: What's the difference?

The HTC One (M8) requires a nano SIM and comes with the whole gamut of connectivity features, such as Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, 4G LTE, DLNA and HTC Connect. It supports IR remote control for TV use too. The front stereo speakers are BoomSound tech, and they feature their own amplification. And the battery is 2,600mAh, with a claimed talktime of up to 20 hours and Qualcomm's Fast Charge technology, which means it can be charged to 80 per cent in just an hour.

It will also come with several cases as accessories, including a normal flip case and a Dot View case that allows you to see salient information on weather and time through a dot matrix style cover.

The phone goes on sale from 4pm today in the UK - at Carphone Warehouse initially. Prices are yet to be revealed.