HTC One Max makes official debut with fingerprint scanner and big display

HTC has announced a new model of its widely popular One series. The latest edition to the One family is HTC One Max, which is the ‘phablet’ model from HTC that features a large 5.9-inch display. The large display is not the only notable feature of HTC One Max as it also packs a biometric fingerprint scanner that makes it the first smartphone from the Android world to feature it after the release of iPhone 5s.

Hardware wise the HTC One Max is similar to the original HTC One smartphone as it features the same look while the only difference being a bigger design and a fingerprint scanner on its back. Internally it features a Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor clocked 1.7GHz, 4-megapixel UltraPixel camera and other specs that are same as the HTC One smartphone. Other specifications include 5.9-inch screen with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution with 349 ppi, 2GB RAM, 16/32GB internal storage options, microSD card slot, NFC, 4G network support, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, 2.1-megapixel camera, 3,300mAh battery and more. On the software side this smartphone features Android 4.3 as well as HTC’s own Sense 5.5 skin.

The fact that HTC One Max runs Android 4.3 and features a large display makes it the direct competitor to Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3. The fingerprint scanner on this device even puts it ahead of Galaxy Note 3 as it lacks the feature which has already become an essential part of future smartphones thanks to iPhone 5s.

Now the performance of the fingerprint scanner on this HTC device is another question. It is located on the back of the device right below the camera as seen in the first image above. This does not seem like a very convenient way to unlock your device when compared with what Apple is offering however it is understandable why HTC chose to place it on the back on the back of the device. Since there is no place on the front due to absence of a iPhone like home button and edge-to-edge screen HTC had very few options.

The fingerprint scanner supports up to 3 different fingers and is capable of launching three different apps on the phone. Users can assign each of the three fingers to a certain app and launch it instantly without unlocking the smartphone. This makes HTC’s fingerprint scanner different from iPhone 5s’s fingerprint scanner in terms of functionality. Of course it can also be used to only unlock the phone.

To provide HTC One Max with protection and a boost in its battery life HTC has also announced a special case that also includes a 1,200mAh battery case.

The HTC One Max is expected to get released in Europe and Asian markets soon. In the US the device will be released on Verizon and Sprint and the launch is expected in the month of November.