HTC Windows Phone 8X will be released on 8 November

ONLINE RETAIL GIANT Amazon has revealed that HTC's debut Windows Phone 8 handset will start shipping, aptly enough, on 8 November.

Amazon has started taking pre-orders for the HTC Windows Phone 8X in black and blue purple flavours, with the promise of shipment on 8 November. This also suggests that Windows Phone 8 will be released at the beginning of November, as HTC told us that its flagship Windows Phone 8X smartphone will start shipping "within days" of Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 launch.

While we're glad that we've finally caught a glimpse at the handset's release date, we're not so keen on Amazon's pricing. While Unlocked Mobiles is selling the phone for a more than reasonable £398.98 SIM free, Amazon is asking a whopping £531.43 for the handset, so we can't see it getting many preorders.

The HTC Windows Phone 8X, which Nokia isn't too happy about, will be the poster boy of Microsoft's upcoming mobile operating system, boasting a design that ties in with its appearance. It also features a 4.3in HD touchscreen, an 8MP rear-facing camera, a videocall camera, a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor, integrated Beats Audio software, and 16GB of internal storage. As well as the blue purple and black models, it will also be available in yellow.

Check out our HTC Windows Phone 8X hands-on review. µ