The HTC One Mini is now available for purchase on Vodafone UK, launching just before Vodafone's 4G LTE rolls out.

The smaller version of the company's popular HTC One flagship was announced back in mid-July and now it has made its way to the UK on Vodafone. The handset serves as an alternative for HTC One fans who want the popular features of the smartphone but in a more compact form factor and for a more affordable price tag.

The HTC One Mini shares the same overall design as the full-sized HTC One flagship, but it's slightly smaller. The specs are also a bit tuned down in order to accommodate the smaller form factor and the lower price.

For those unfamiliar with the device, the HTC One Mini sports a 4.3-inch display with a 720p resolution and a pixel density of 341 pixels per inch (ppi). Under the hood, the handset packs a dual-core processor clocked at 1.4GHz, Adreno 305 graphics, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and a 1,800 mAh non-removable Li-Polymer battery.

The full-sized HTC One flagship, meanwhile, boasts higher-end specs such as a 4.7-inch Full HD (1080p) display with a pixel density of 468ppi, a quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor clocked at 1.7GHz, 2GB of RAM, 32GB or 64GB of internal storage configurations (with no micro SD card slot for additional memory), NFC capabilities and a more powerful 3,200 mAh battery.

Both the HTC One and the HTC One Mini feature the company's UltraPixel (4-megapixel) camera, LTE and HTC Sense 5.0 overlaying Android.

Vodafone UK will be offering the HTC One Mini on contract for £34 per month for users who want 4G LTE, but there's a catch: the carrier's 4G will only cover London at launch. That £34 per month will get users unlimited texts, unlimited calls and unlimited data for the first three months, after which only 2GB of data will be included.

The contract-free version of the handset, meanwhile, will reportedly retail for £379. It may seem a bit steep for some, but many prefer to pay the full price rather than committing to a two-year contract with a carrier.

Smartphone shoppers interested in purchasing an HTC One Mini from Vodafone UK can visit the carrier's website for more information or to order the handset.