HTC is not yet dead, the next HTC One might be released soon

HTC fans, you'd better hold onto your hats, because the company's freshest flagship phone is right around the corner. Planned to follow its predecessor, the lovely HTC One, the HTC One 2 (at least that's what we're calling it for now) no doubt will be faster, better skilled, and more impressive.

Editors' note: This story was originally published on February 6, 2014, and will be updated periodically until the HTC One's successor is officially announced.

We've been keeping close tabs on all the tasty tidbits churned out by the smartphone rumor mill over the last few months. As a result we have a pretty good idea what HTC has up its sleeve. Sure, the exact specs of the phone remain fuzzy, but a rough outline of its profile, slick new features, and powerful components are shifting into focus. Stay tuned as we'll update this post to reflect each new development as it happens until HTC ultimately launches its latest halo handset.

What we think we know

Code-named the M8, but possibly officially called the HTC One 2 or perhaps One+, the next HTC superphone could be saddled with an awkward name. Despite a potentially clumsy moniker, though, word on the street points to a muscular smartphone boasting beefed up hardware. Specifically the HTC One 2 will likely leverage the computing power of a Snapdragon 800 or even a cutting-edge Snapdragon 805 processor. This would be a welcome upgrade to the original HTC One's slower Snapdragon 600 chip the phone shipped with.

Apparently HTC will stretch the One 2's screen, too, expanding its panel to 5 inches, up from the first HTC One's 4.7-inch display. Another key enhancement is a full 3GB allotment of RAM, hopefully to match at least 32GB of internal storage (what the One has now).

But wait, that's not all. Images reported to be leaked photos depict an HTC device wielding twin camera lenses. It's still not clear what the purpose of a dual-image capture system like this could be. We doubt it would be for giving the One 2 any 3D picture-taking abilities. We believe HTC abandoned that gimmick with its questionable Evo 3D. Chances are strong that the phone will run Android 4.4 KitKat, not to mention the handset-maker's latest version of its Sense user interface.

When will we get it?

Since the company unveiled the One in early February of last year, we're certainly due for a replacement. And all signs are pointing toward a March 25 announcement. That's when HTC has scheduled a press conference in New York to reveal new devices (the official invitations went out on February 21). As expected, the company didn't reveal a new flagship device at the 2014 Mobile World Congress.