After the Samsung ATIV S and then the Nokia Lumia 920 and 820 soon after, HTC has become the latest mobile-maker to make its Windows Phone 8 presence known with the official announcement of the HTC 8X smartphone.

Bringing the fight to the iPhone 5 and other great Android phones (One X aside) we take a snapshot look at the features that might tempt the money out of your pocket for the HTC 8X.

Build and design

Measuring in at 10.12mm thick the 8X is substantially less slender than the One X (8.9mm) but manages to weigh in at the same 130g as HTC’s flagship Android device. Available in California Blue, Graphite Black, Flame Red and Limelight Yellow, the 8X seems to share more design characteristics with the Nokia Lumia 920 than it does with current One Series offerings which HTC claims is more based on the pillow-like design of Windows Live Tiles.

Screen

Brandishing a 4.3-inch LCD 2 HD touchscreen display with 1280 x 720 resolution, the 8X should serve up 720p HD image and video quality. Lightweight but durable Gorilla Glass should protect the screen from being roughed up during the day, and to battle glare and reflection issues, optical lamination has been includes so watching video or browsing in on the web shouldn’t be an issue.

Camera

Following in the footsteps of the Android-powered One X, the 8X features an 8-megapixel camera with auto focus and LED flash and a BSI sensor which along with the f/2.0 aperture and 28mm lens should snap great pictures in low-light conditions. HTC’s dedicated Image Chip will help deliver slick snaps and ramp up the focus speed, while 1080p HD video recording with stereo sound should take care of mobile movies.

For video chatting enthusiasts, the 2.1-Megapixel front-facing camera is capable of full HD video recording and also sports a f/2.0 aperture which combines with the ultra-wide-angle lens and HTC ImageChip comfortable should make it one of the best front-facing snappers around.

Connectivity

On the connectivity front you can expect Wi-Fi dual antenna (2.4 & 5GHz) to keep reception strong, with a Bluetooth 2.1 support and NFC capabilities on board as well. The micro-USB 2.0 port should open the possibility for hooking up additional accessories while it’s worth noting that you’ll need to have a Micro SIM packed in the back to start making calls.

Beats Audio

Reaping the rewards of HTC’s partnership with Beats Audio, built-in amplifiers and speaker should deliver the superior sound while the 3.5mm audio jack should allow you to plug in most headphones that you can get your hands on. If you opt not to use the ones thrown in the box of course.

Battery and processor

Powering the 8X will be a Qualcomm® S4 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, which will also power the 8S and the Nokia Lumia 920. 1GB of RAM will help to deliver in the multitasking department, while a 1,800 mAh battery should hopefully keep your handset juiced up throughout the day.

Windows Phone 8

Of course the 8X will become HTC’s flagship Window Phone 8 handset and amongst some of the features to expect, you will be able to use Live Tiles on the home screen which will display information such as missed calls and text messages, customization of Internet Explorer and the ability to take screen shots.

More: Windows Phone 8 features

UK Price and release date

So when can you buy the HTC 8X in the UK? Well, the Windows Phone 8 smartphone will be landing in early November with Three, Orange, T-Mobile, Vodafone, O2, Virgin Media and Carphone Warehouse amongst the places you can expect to snare one. There’s no news on pricing, but will let you know as soon as it breaks.

Planning to buy the HTC 8X? Let us know your thoughts via the comments section below.