HTC One Mini 2 is a minor metal marvel (pictures)

Although it doesn't carry the M8 name, the HTC One Mini 2 is the shrunken little brother to HTC's flagship One M8.

It keeps the same gorgeous metal design, but it has a smaller 4.5-inch display.

It's due to hit stores globally on 29 May, although HTC is yet to confirm pricing.

Read our full hands-on first take of the HTC One Mini 2.

There's no mistaking that design -- it looks almost identical to the top-end One M8, only without the depth-sensor lens.

It wouldn't be an HTC without the two front-facing BoomSound speakers.

The speakers are physically smaller than the One M8's, but they should still kick out a decent volume.

They fire towards you, meaning you get the best audio possible when you prop it up to watch a movie.

At 4.5 inches, it's not loads smaller than the 5-inch One M8, but it does make it more comfortable to hold in one hand. I also didn't struggle to stretch my thumb across to type.

Instead of the "Ultrapixel" camera of its big brother, the One Mini 2 has a 13-megapixel sensor.

There's also a 5-megapixel front-facing camera for sharp selfies.

The camera interface is the same as on the flagship, although it lacks features like the 3D image effect (there's no depth sensor) and 360-degree panoramas.

There are still a host of image effects and scene modes.

There's 16GB of onboard storage, but you can expand that using the microSD card slot on the side.

It arrives with the latest Android 4.4.2 KitKat software onboard, along with HTC's Sense 6 interface.

Sense 6 has a simple design and is easy to use.

The BlinkFeed news aggregator still sits off to the left of the homescreens, but you can get rid of it if you're not keen.

It's not the skinniest phone around, but its curves make it very comfortable to hold.

There's a micro-USB port on the bottom and a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top.

The metal back curves around to the front, where there's a slim plastic rim. It's much classier than the chunky plastic band found on the previous One Mini.

Read our full hands-on first take of the HTC One Mini 2.