Rumors of a new HTC smartphone have been gathering for a while, and it looks like we should expect another version of the One. See if you can guess what sort of phone it’ll be? After all, it’s got a small One and a normal One, which leaves plenty of room for a big One. Yes, there’s a good chance HTC will be taking on the Galaxy Note 3, the Sony Xperia Z Ultra and all the other huge tablet/smartphone hybrids expected or already announced in 2013. HTC’s challenger is tentatively known as the HTC One Max, a less than original name, but appropriate enough. Here’s what we know about the One Max.

Updated on 09/16/2013 by Andy: The arrival of a set of pictures giving us our best look at the phone accompany talk of a fingerprint sensor, and Android 4.3 being installed on the One Max. All this, along with various other details, has been added to our roundup.

What’s it going to be called?

A big-screen HTC device, with the codename T6, was first leaked at the end of May, before becoming known as the HTC One Max a week or so later. HTC has used the Max name before, but a long time ago, as it was given to a 2008 Windows Mobile 6.1 device with a 3.8-inch resistive screen and WiMax connectivity. So, even by HTC’s standards it’s not the most original naming choice.

In early August, the HTC One Max showed up on a leaked document purported to come from the O2 network in Germany. It lists a sliver version of the One Max alongside black and silver models of the One Mini. An alternative model number, the HTC 8088, has been spotted on a spec list leaked over Sina Wiebo in China.

A 5.9-inch screen?

There are several rumors regarding the size of the panel which will be stuck to the front of the One Max. The most prevalent is it will be a 5.9-inch display with a 1080p resolution, which would match the Galaxy Note 3’s screen size and resolution. Also rumored is a 6-inch display with the same resolution, although the difference between the two is so minimal, the leaks may be referring to the same model.

HTC One Clear Leak 

Snapdragon 800 processor, or not?

It’ll come as no surprise that the One Max is being linked with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800, which is rapidly becoming the processor to have inside your top-of-the-range device this year. It’s expected to run at 2.3GHz, and be supported by 2GB of RAM. However, a new leak has suggested the phone will instead sport a 1.7GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro, which although still quad-core and perfectly capable, it’s not in-line with hardware from Samsung and Sony. Other reports have said it will actually be a Snapdragon 600 just like inside the HTC One, which means just about every eventuality has been covered, unless HTC suddenly adopts the Nvidia Tegra 4.

A rear-mounted fingerprint sensor?

Apple may have started the ball rolling with its Touch ID sensor fitted to the iPhone 5S, but if the most recent images of the One Max are accurate, HTC’s going to be next to bring us a phone with a biometric sensor fitted. In mid-August, a picture showed an HTC phone with a small, black square set underneath the camera lens, which was speculated to be for reading fingerprints.

Now, in the clearest pictures of the phone yet, the square is no longer black, but instead may be waiting to be filled with the same sensor. None of the first images we saw of the One Max included this cutout, so it may have been a last minute addition, either due to availability of the tech or in response to rumors surrounding Apple’s moves.

HTC One Max Leak Fingerprint Scanner 

Will it look like the HTC One, but bigger?

If you haven’t been shocked by any of the other specs, then prepare to not be shocked over HTC’s choice of styling for the One Max either, as a leaked schematic shows it could just be a bigger version of the HTC One. This isn’t a bad thing, as the One is probably the best looking Android smartphone on the market, but if you were looking for something different, the One Max probably won’t be it. If the drawing is accurate, a pair of BoomSound stereo speakers will be found on the front panel, and the camera lens will be set top-center on the rear.

A leaked press-style glamor shot said to be of the HTC T6, published by @evleaks, depicts a device similar to the one in the schematic. However, all may not be as it seems, as posting on Engadget’s coverage of the leak, HTC’s online comms manager, Jeff Gordon wrote, “Fake, @evleaks is way off his game.” Of course, he would say that, but it’s rare for a representative of the company in question to call out a leaked image. Subsequent images said to show the phone have the sensor below the camera lens, but otherwise, the design of the phone is pretty similar. These pictures also show HTC has moved the power button to the side of the phone, just below the volume rocker.

Which version of Android?

Many of the rumors related to the HTC One Max have stated the phone will come with Android Key Lime Pie installed. Since Key Lime Pie has now been exposed as 4.4 KitKat, and hasn’t been given a proper release date yet, it seems unlikely a 2013 smartphone is unlikely to use it. If it doesn’t have Android 4.2.2 – like the HTC One Mini – then Android 4.3 is the best bet, and it has been included on a spec sheet for the One Max leaked on the Chinese Sina Weibo social networking site.

What other features can we expect?

The UltraPixel camera has been fitted to the One Mini, so there’s absolutely no reason why it shouldn’t make it on to the One Max. The same spec sheet which shows Android 4.3 being installed says it’ll have 5-megapixels, higher than the 4-megapixel found on the HTC One. It could be joined by a 2.1-megapixel video-call camera. A microSD card slot should also be on hand to boost the standard 16GB of memory, plus rumors show the phone could have 2GB of RAM.

There are two other potential features which could make the One Max standout, the first of which is a separate case which could contain a 1250mAh battery pack, ready to boost the already generous 3200mAh or 3300mAh built-in cell. Next, HTC could add a stylus to the One Max. Although it would seem like it’s following Samsung’s trend set with the Galaxy Note, HTC has some experience of its own in this area, as it packaged a stylus, known as the Scribe, with its Flyer tablet back in 2011.

When’s it going to be announced?

As HTC didn’t announce the One Max at the IFA tech show in early September, we should be seeing it soon. The delay could work in its favor as at IFA, it would have been fighting for attention alongside the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and the Sony Xperia Z1. It’s traditional for the quality of leaked images to increase as we get closer to the launch date, and the most recent pictures are the best yet.

Updated on 08/12/2013 at 07:30 by Andy: Added in details of leaked T6 image, which was dismissed as fake by HTC’s Jeff Gordon.