The HTC mobile phone designed to take the best 'selfie'

Smartphone manufacturer HTC has introduced a new handset designed to take better selfies than any other device.

At an event in New York, the technology firm unveiled the Desire EYE, a smartphone that contains a 13 megapixel front-facing camera, surpassing the specification of the same camera on Apple and Samsung’s current devices.

Peter Chou, HTC’s CEO, said: “HTC is once again changing the way that people think about technology.

“Back in 1997, we allowed people to leave their laptops at home in favour of powerful, pocket-sized smartphone computing. We are taking a similar leap forward. Combining incredible hardware with unrivalled software, HTC is reinventing the way we think about imaging. We are taking you out from behind the viewfinder and putting you back where you belong, at the heart of the action.”

As well as the new Desire EYE, HTC also announced a new handheld camera called the RE, which automatically turns on when it is picked up.

The RE is being marketed as an everyday alternative to professional action cameras like the GoPro.

Head of HTC America Jason MacKenzie said: “It’s made for spontaneity and simplicity. It also comes waterproof right out of the box.”

HTC confirmed that the RE will use a dedicated RE app to create a new ecosystem between devices for images and video, as well as linking the camera to your smartphone for live streaming.

A new app called Zoe was also introduced. It will enable users to edit and mix photo and videos to create projects and then share them with others via the app’s own social network, as well as come together with other users who have media from the same event to create a single video.