HTC has officially announced the E8 variant of the HTC One. Previously doing the rounds as the HTC One (M8) Ace, the E8 takes most of the M8's goodness and puts in a polycarbonate shell, designed to be more affordable. 

The polycarbonate body is said to sport a "dual curve" design so it will sit nicely in your hand and it will come in a range of colour options, including red, white, and grey with gold trim.

The HTC One (E8) offers the same core specs as the HTC One (M8), with a 5-inch display with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage with microSD card expansion.

One of the big changes from the M8 - aside from the dual SIM support - is the move from UltraPixel and Duo Camera to a regular 13-megapixel camera. There's a 5-megapixel on the front too. 

"Combining style and substance, the HTC One (E8) represents the incredible experience people expect from a HTC One device with a look and feel that's unlike anything else out there today," said Peter Chou, HTC CEO.

"If you're looking for the best flagship smartphone experience, but want to stand out from the crowd, this is the phone for you."

You get the distinctive BoomSound speakers in a device that measures 146.42 x 70.67 x 9.85mm and weighs 145g. There is a 2600mAh battery within.

The HTC One E8 launches on Android 4.4 KitKat with Sense 6.0, and will support the Motion Gestures of the M8. There will also be a Dot Case for the E8.

It will be available from early June. The E8 is launching initially in China where the price equates to about £267, with wider availability expected later in 2014.