HTC 8X, 8S hit Telstra and Optus

HTC today announced local availability of its two 'signature' Windows phones, the HTC 8X and the HTC 8S, running on both Telstra and Optus' networks.

The smartphones launched locally one month ago in line with the arrival of Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system.

Both devices are available on a variety of consumer and business plans.

The higher-end 8X is 4G capable and will be available on Telstra's 24 month $60 every day connect plan, plus a $5 monthly handset repayment. The plan includes $600 standard calls and MMS, unlimited text and 1GB data.

The 8X will be available for online purchase from December 4 and in stores on December 11.

The 8S is on offer with Optus from 1 December on a $35 monthly plan. HTC has not announced whether the smartphones will be sold outright.

HTC’s flagship phones bear a striking similarity to Nokia's rival Lumias, with a similar curved design and range of bright covers.

The devices have been marketed as the “signature” Windows Phone 8 smartphones by Microsoft. The top of the range 8X is clad in a polycarbonate shell with a 4.3-inch 1280 x 720 Super LCD screen, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, NFC, and front and rear cameras, the latter of which is 8MP.

The lower-end 8S has a plastic body with a 4-inch WVGA screen and Corning Gorilla Glass, a dual-core 1GHz chip, 512MB of RAM, a 5MP camera with 720p HD video on the back but no camera on the front, and 4GB of built-in storage with the able to boost to 32GB via the microSD slot.

The 8X comes in blue and black and the 8S is available in black and white, and blue.