Check out the sleek, metal HTC One M8 (photos)

After months of rumours and leaked photos, HTC has finally made its new flagship -- the One M8 -- official. This 5-inch beast sports an updated metal design, a quad-core 2.3GHz processor, Android 4.4.2 KitKat and a host of cool camera tricks.

The phone is due to go on sale globally this week, although specific pricing hasn't yet been discussed.

Physically, it's not difficult to spot the family resemblance to its predecessor. The One M8 has a 5-inch display, making it marginally bigger than the 4.7-inches of its predecessor. Both displays have full HD resolutions.

The back panel is still made from metal, but it curves round at the edges to meet the screen.

The front-facing Boomsound speakers are still in place at the top and bottom of the phone.

HTC reckons it's tweaked the chambers and drivers to make the sound 25 percent louder.

Instead of just a back and home button, the navigational buttons now includes one for multitasking.

Wait, are there two camera lenses on the back?

Not quite. The lower lens is the main camera. It has the same 4-Ultrapixel resolution as before -- HTC claims its pixels are physically larger, allowing them to take in more light and therefore produce better quality shots. Apparently the software has been tweaked too to increase clarity.

The top lens is actually best thought of as a depth sensor.

Take a photo of a friend, and the depth sensor is able to tell the phone that the person in shot is closer to the phone than the background.

It allows you to edit the background of the photo without changing your friend.

It also lets you refocus the photo after it's been taken.

The effect looked a little artificial, but it was quite cool nonetheless.

You're also able to move the phone around, digitally changing the angle of the scene on screen.

HTC's Zoe mode is on board still. It takes multiple pictures in a burst mode, letting you remove moving objects -- like a stranger walking through your shot -- or edit them together into an action sequence.

There's a 5-megapixel camera on the front too. That's a hefty amount of megapixels for a front camera -- great news for you selfie-snappers.

There's a dual LED flash, which can change its colour tone to match the scene.

Tucked into those curved metal edges you'll find a Micro-USB port and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Unlike its predecessor, the One M8 has a microSD card slot, letting you expand the 16GB of built-in storage.

It's not razor thin, but you'd have to be in a pretty bad mood to call it fat.

The metal back panel is made from a single piece. Even when I tried really hard, I couldn't flex it. It's a satisfyingly sturdy shell to house all those delicate components.

It arrives running the latest Android 4.4.2 KitKat software.

HTC has thrown its Sense 6 interface over the top, which of course includes its Blinkfeed scrolling news aggregator.

The app tray still has a minimalist look to it, although there's no longer a weather widget at the top.

Changing the camera functions now means using this super stripped-down interface.

With a dedicated multitasking button, it's a bit easier to switch between recent apps.

HTC will also have an official flip case to protect that big screen from your keys in your pocket.

It has a neat trick up its sleeve too. Close it up and you'll see information shining through in a dot-matrix style display, meaning you don't need to open your phone to see critical information.

It'll show the weather as well, along with notifications.

If you want to keep that sleek metal body looking good, you'll want to pop it in a case.