The HTC U11 represents the firm making "real noise" in the smartphone market again, industry analysts have said.
The Taiwanese firm's latest flagship includes the unique ability to squeeze the device in order to interact with it.
The HTC U11, which will cost £649, was unveiled during a live event in Taiwan and is the tech giant's challenger to the new Samsung Galaxy S8 and the iPhone 7.
The Edge Sense technology can be used to open the camera and take selfies, as well as launch certain apps and trigger voice control features.
It also works when the phone is wet and if the user if wearing gloves, HTC said, and it will also support voice dictation for messages.
What are the main features?
Elsewhere, the U11 has a 12 megapixel, UltraPixel 3 rear-facing camera which comes complete with optical image stabilisation (OIS) - which smoothes shaky photography.
The front-facing 'selfie' camera is 16 megapixels and can also be triggered by voice command.
The USonic earphones which come in the box with the phone have also been given active noise cancellation for the first time - meaning they are able to filter out background noise.
How does Edge Sense squeeze work?
Let's start here: squeezing is exactly as it sounds. The HTC U11 has pressure-sensitive areas around the sides of the handset meaning you can squeeze the phone when you're holding it and the phone will detect that action. HTC is calling the whole thing Edge Sense.
What can you do with a squeeze?
HTC is offering a load of customisation, so you'll be able to trigger a whole range of action through squeezing. That might be something you do all the time - like launching the camera - or might be something you want to reserve as a special action for the squeeze, like opening the Wi-Fi hotspot.
By default, the squeeze will do different things in different places. Here are some examples.
A squeeze from the lock screen will launch the camera. A squeeze will then focus and take a photo. When the camera is open a long squeeze will switch from front to back camera.
When the keyboard is open, i.e, you're entering text, a squeeze can switch to voice entry instead.
A long squeeze will launch Google Assistant, so you can avoid using the hotword
Basically, squeezing can be used to launch or trigger an action. HTC will let you change the default actions to launch and app of your choice, take a screenshot, turn on the torch/flashlight, launch voice recording, launch HTC Sense Companion, turn the hotspot on or off.
