CES 2015: HTC’s Desire 826 has an UltraPixel front camera to make your selfies better

If ever there was proof that selfies won’t be going anywhere in a hurry, it’s smartphones finally making sure their cameras are equal to our pouts.

HTC hasn’t used CES 2015 to show off a new super-phone, but the company has cast itself in a flattering light by unveiling its new Desire 826 – an update of the Desire 820 with a model that boasts a 4-UltraPixel camera on the front, for the sharpest selfies on the block.

The Desire 820 is only four months old, so this new twist might a welcome surprise for HTC fans (or a total pain, depending on when you last upgraded). HTC has taken its cue from the similar, but more compact, Desire Eye, which launched in October with a 13MP camera on the front and a whole host of other features for photography junkies.

HTC didn’t have the idea first – Chinese brand IUNI’s bargain U2 model launched with an UltraPixel front camera back in March. But running Android 5.0 Lollipop and boasting the brand’s signature front-facing BoomSound speakers and a 13 MP rear camera, the Desire 826 could be a covetable handset. It has a 5.5-inch 1080 x 1920 display and a a microSD card slot, along with 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage and a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor.

Set to launch in the Asia-Pacific region later this month, it’s likely the Desire 826 will sit towards the higher end of the mid-range market – but we’ll have to wait and see, as HTC hasn’t revealed a price yet.

This week we’re bringing you all the latest news, videos and gossip from CES 2015 in Las Vegas. Check out the CES 2015 page to keep up to date and subscribe to our YouTube channel to see hands-on news with our editor Holly Brockwell from the show floor.