HTC One Plus (2, M8) preview

A new shot of HTC's upcoming superphone is the most convincing leak yet

The HTC One is a lovely thing. Its good looks and outstanding build were a big part of the reason we awarded it the Android crown, placing it right at the top of Stuff's list of the 10 best smartphones in the world before the LG G2 came along to usurp it.

HTC isn't taking a breather. News of the HTC One Plus (codenamed the M8) has already started trickling through the wheels of the tech rumour mill. 

Here's all we know about HTC's next-gen flagship Android smartphone so far.

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

'HTC One 2'. Doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, does it? Its codename, M8, is pretty uninspiring too.

Luckily, it looks like HTC's new flagship will be called the HTC One Plus, thanks to official HTC cases appearing on Mobile Fun with the One Plus moniker.

Update 19/02/14: Looks like HTC is making it hard for us again. @evleaks' latest bit of info points to 'HTC One, 2014', following Apple's naming scheme for new iPads. Could that be the final name? We certainly hope so. It's getting more and more difficult to keep track.

READ MORE: Official cases suggest that HTC's next flagship could be called the One Plus

ONE DNA

The HTC One Plus will share 99 percent of its DNA with the current HTC One, if all the leaked pictures are to be believed.

The most recent leaked picture is the most convincing yet, as it arrives straight from the secret files of reliable tipster @evleaks.

Sharing almost exactly the same build as the existing One, the only differences appear to be the slightly more rounded corners, onscreen buttons and dual rear cameras (more on that later).

Compared to a previous leaked photo from Russian site mobiltelefon.ru, this most recent render appears to be the more genuine of the two, though the Russians weren't far off.

@evleaks has also released a screenshot from what it claims is the HTC One Plus's homescreen, seemingly adding more weight to the presence of on-screen navigation buttons.

SPECS

Famed Twitter leaker @evleaks believes that the HTC One Plus will have a 5in 1080p display (marginally bigger than the One's 4.7in offering), 2GB of RAM and a Snapdragon 800 processor, though we're hoping that this will get switched to the newer, more powerful Snapdragon 805.

@evleaks also shared that the One Plus will launch with HTC Sense 6, which should bring with it a few major tweaks and improvements to the current iteration of HTC's Android skin.

We expect the One Plus to arrive with at least 2GB of RAM and 32/64GB of memory, though we wouldn't keep our fingers crossed for a microSD slot if we were you. (That said, the HTC One Max has one, and there's a dual SIM One with a removable back in the offing, so it's not beyond the realms of possibility).

Update 17/02/14: XDA moderator Shen Ye has revealed that the HTC One Plus will have microSD support after all. If true, it means that HTC has answered the prayers of music hoarders and media fiends alike, although we still don't expect to see a removable battery.

Ye also believes that the One Plus will join the likes of the iPhone 5s and Moto X with nanoSIM support. He also expects it to land in five colours; silver, dark grey, red, blue and gold.

CAMERA - TWICE THE FUN?

The HTC One Plus is expected to land with two rear cameras. A leaked photo posted by @htcfamily_ru shows off a rear that features two camera lenses, which could be used for Lytro-like post-photo refocusing.

READ MORE: HTC One Plus (2, M8): dual rear cameras for Lytro-like refocusing confirmed
READ MORE: Lytro review

Another theory is that one lens could be better suited to low-light conditions, while the other takes care of well-lit environments.

It's not clear if HTC is sticking to its 'less is more' approach to megapixels - the current One's 'UltraPixel' camera uses fewer, bigger pixels than its rivals. Each pixel gathers more light, offering improved performance in low-light conditions. We weren't completely convinced by the UltraPixel technology, at least at 4MP resolution, in ourHTC One review, so here's hoping a higher-resolution compromise has been reached.

READ MORE: HTC ONE review

A dual LED flash is also clearly visible, which points to potentially better flash photo credentials. Unlike the iPhone 5s' dual True Tone flash which has one white and one amber LED for improved colour reproduction, in this picture both of the HTC One 2's LEDs appear to be white.

The dual-cameras are also supported by Bloomberg's source, as well as by a number of third-party case designs. One case dug up by Gotta Be Mobile shows off two rear cutouts, adding more meat to the dual-lens rumour bones.

Update 10/02/04: Another shot of the HTC One Plus' rear show off the dual LED flash in greater detail, and it does in fact appear to have an amber LED flash, similar to the one found in the iPhone 5s. More accurate colours and realistic skin tones? Let's hope so.

RELEASE DATE

@evleaks has revealed that the HTC One 2 will be launched in New York City in March, making a Mobile World Congress launch look far less likely. That's a shame for the show: HTC launches have always been major coups for MWC.

Update 18/02/14: It's official folks. HTC has sent out launch invitations for two simultaneous events in New York City and London, where all will finally be revealed.

Dual cameras, biggger screen and more power? We can't wait.