HTC One Max Release Imminent As GCF Approves

Showing up this week in the approval bin for the Global Certification Forum is none other than the mysterious HTC One Max, a device that's about to be unveiled on a global scale with a look rather similar to that of the original HTC One. While HTC has not unveiled the device itself in full detail (or indeed confirmed that it exists at all), the large handset has appeared in leaks and rumors for several weeks. Inside this competitor for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is a brain that looks to essentially replicate that of its smaller predecessors.

While the listing with the GCF discovered by The Unwired hasn't really spoken too much to details we'd not been able to guess on our own, it does suggest that tri-band LTE at 800, 1800 and 2600 MHZ will be supported. We can only hope that this machine will work with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor and take on the mantel of universal LTE coverage and accept its fate as an all-carrier device with a single SKU. Alas, it's quite unlikely.

NOTE: The above image is actually of two HTC One Mini handsets, there for illustrative purposes. You'll find a gallery of what's almost certainly the final model of the HTC One Max below.

The HTC One and the HTC One Mini have both been released on multiple carriers already, sporting their own unique SKU, and each device to have been released with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 has also seen its own unique carrier code. In one case – with the LG G2 – the device has even seen a completely different back cover, complete with wireless charging abilities (for Verizon as opposed to AT&T).

With the HTC One Max, we're still on the fence with whether it'll be released with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 or 600 processor given the leads that've suggested a lower-power bit of graphics technology. The display size, on the other hand, has been pegged for 5.9-inches almost without fail for the last three weeks solid. This display is also suggested to be carrying a 1080 x 1920 pixel density, that bringing it up to a cool 373 PPI.

It would also appear that the HTC One Max will – in some configurations, at least – be equipped with some sort of scanner at its back. It's been suggested that this square that rests below the back-facing camera lens could be used as a fingerprint scanner – one anonymous source has even gone so far as to say they've tested it. We're not certain enough about this particular bit to suggest HTC will be going to war with Apple's iPhone 5s Touch ID outright – we'll see soon!

Below you'll find a series of photos from recent leaks of this device in its international edition. We're not sure whether this machine will be released in the United States – though chances are good – but if it does, it won't have a removable backside like these examples. It'll be one solid chunk of a large cousin for the HTC One.