HTC One M9+ and its fingerprint sensor ahead of its April launch

Before HTC revealed the gorgeous One M9 flagship at Mobile World Congress, there were scores of rumors that the company would launch another phablet-sized version of its flagship phone. Although we’ve yet to see the One M9+, many believe that it’s still coming, and soon.
In mid-March, noted leaker Upleaks, who correctly predicted the specs, design, and other key details about the standard One M9, recently hinted that the One M9+ will arrive in late March or early April. Here’s everything we know about HTC’s phablet so far.
Updated on 4-02-2015 by Malarie Gokey: Added in new images possibly showing the One M9+.

Similar design, but with a fingerprint sensor

HTC may change up the One M9+’s insides, but it will most likely stick with the same design as the flagship. For those of you who haven’t seen it yet, the M9 has a slightly less smooth unibody aluminum body that features a small, grippy ledge right next to the screen. It also comes in intriguing color combinations, like the striking gold and silver combination.
However, OnLeaks hinted in late March that the One M9+ may have a home button on the front of the device that doubles as a fingerprint sensor. He even posted what appear to be leaked renders of the device next to the regular HTC One M9.

French site Nowhereelse.fr posted a few photos of a One M9+ prototype as well, which show the fingerprint sensor in full detail. One photo even shows a working version of the device. Following on from this, MyDrivers leaked more supposed press renders of the One M9+, which show the fingerprint sensor.

Beforehand, @upleaks posted another set of images on Twitter, showing a press-style shot of the button below the screen, which may end up being the fingerprint scanner.

A black and gold version in its entirety was also leaked, showing an apparently identical device to the one featured in the event invitation above. Note the round camera lens surround, and the Duo Camera sensor above it to differentiate the One M9+ from the One M9.

It could launch on April 8 in China

HTC One M9+ HTC/Sina Weibo

HTC China teased an April 8 event on the country’s popular social network Sina Weibo. The teaser poster shows a device that looks almost exactly like the recently released HTC One M9 in silver and gold, but it has the tagline, “More than One,” which hints that this device will have something extra. It’s also a pretty solid hint that HTC will show off the rumored One M9+. Of course, the event is in China, which doesn’t bode well for the possibility of a U.S. release of HTC’s phablet.

Related: Hands on with the HTC One M9

According to Upleaks’ info, the One M9+ will launch in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, as early as this March or April. It’s unclear whether the phablet will reach the U.S. or not. One can only hope that it does, especially if the specs are even better than those of the flagship One M9. Regardless, we’ll keep you updated on all the HTC news and the One M9+.

It could be even better than the flagship

Although HTC’s One M9 is undoubtedly a powerhouse of a phone, it still lacks some of the super high-end specs we’ve seen from LG and others. The most recent leak from the OnLeaks Twitter account hints that the One M9+ has a 5.2-inch Quad HD screen, which is just slightly larger than that of the standard flagship smartphone. The physical device would measure 150.9 x 72.5 x 10.15mm, the leaker claims.

However, most earlier reports hint the One M9+ will one up the flagship with a 5.5-inch quad HD screen, sporting a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels. If the massive, phablet screen is actually higher resolution that the One M9, it could be a truly great device for watching videos on the go.

Previously, reports hinted the One M9+ would feature the same processor as the regular M9, but Upleaks says that’s not the case. Apparently, some kind of MediaTek chip could power the device. If Upleaks is right, HTC may have chosen MediaTek’s pride and joy: the MT6795, which is a 64-bit octa-core processor, with the same 4x Cortex-A57 + 4xA53 chip design as the Snapdragon 810, with the added bonus of the PowerVR G6200 GPU. HTC has used MediaTek chips in Desire devices in the past.

It may have a super sharp camera

HTC is known for its good-quality cameras, and reports indicate that the One M9+ will also have superior photo-taking capabilities. OnLeaks claims the back camera will be one of HTC’s special duo cameras, while Upleaks says it’ll have a resolution of 20-megapixels.