HTC One Android super-camera smartphone unveiled

Company looks to challenge Nokia camera dominance with new imaging technology

HTC has unveiled its flagship One Android smartphone, promising its new custom camera and Sense 5.0 custom skin will reinvigorate interest in its handsets.

The HTC One aims to target the same social and photo-focussed market as the Nokia Lumia 920, featuring never before seen imaging software.

The One features a 4MP rear facing camera that HTC claims will outperform most 13MP competitors, thanks to its Ultrapixel technology.

The technology means that the pixels picked up by the One are 200 percent bigger than those recorded on its previous 8MP smartphone cameras.

The increased size reportedly removes a lot of the background noise recorded on higher megapixel cameras thus improving image quality.

HTC claims the increased pixel size also allows the One's f/2.0 aperture lens to capture three times as much light as a regular 8MP smartphone camera.

The camera also features a dedicated image processor and 2,000Hz image stabilizer that helps it capture moving images.

HTC's also loaded the One with its new ZOE camera software. The software offers users several custom features, including dual path encoding.

The feature means that the camera automatically shoots burst photos every three seconds when users are recording video on the One.

It also means that the camera actually captures video several seconds before you click the shutter button by automatically caching video when in the camera app, ensuring you never miss your shot.

The smartphone is confirmed to run Google's Android 4.12 Jelly Bean operating system, overlaid with HTC's new custom Sense 5.0 skin.

The skin is a radical change from previous Sense user interfaces, featuring HTC's newly added Blink Feed.

Blink Feed aims to add act as a one stop information source for smartphone users, similar to the Hub and People services seen on BlackBerry and Windows Phone.

The feed collates information from over 1,500 approved news outlets, including the BBC, Sky News and ITV as well as the user's Facebook, Twitter and email into one push update tile display.

In terms of raw specs, the One features a sizable 4.7in full HD 468ppi display, HTC promises will boast its best viewing angles to date.

The One will run off a powerful quad-core 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and boast 2GB of RAM.

The device will be powered by a 2,300mAh battery, HTC promises will boast a "reasonable" life span.

The One will initially be available with 32GB of storage on 15 March via Vodafone and 02 though a 64GB version has been confirmed. There is currently no word on the One's pricing.

Check back with V3 later for a hands-on review of the HTC One.