It’s no secret now, the HTC One M9, the successor to the HTC One M8, HTC’s flagship device, is bound to be released sometime in the next couple of months, and if you’ve been on any Android news outlets, you have probably seen the numerous leaks circulating around the Internet. As we come closer to the launch of the HTC One M9, things are becoming more clear in the realm of the leaks, as more and more pictures of the device might actually look like. Though the vast number of leaks have clouded the truth, here’s what is panning out to be accepted in the Android community.

Design: Giving us more of what we love

The HTC One series is no slouch when it comes to design, as HTC flaunts one of the most elegant designs on the smartphone market, especially when compared to other flagships on the market that tend to use cheaper materials like plastic (I’m looking at you Samsung). HTC aims to reinvent their amazing design once more by attempting to adhere to the biggest complaint, the big bezels. As shown by the trusted leaker, evleaks, HTC will attempt to slim down the tall bezels seen on their predecessor to fit more screen real estate. The leak shown to us by evleaks also shows the M9 in two models, one being a larger variant with a fingerprint. This might be an indication of HTC planning to reboot their phablet lineup, the HTC One Max. You may have seen pictures of an HTC looking nearly identical to the HTC One M8 with a few minor tweaks back in early January, but those soon were revealed as decoy phones, aimed to throw the public in the wrong direction.

On Feb. 5, another image of the HTC One M9 was leaked on a Chinese social media website, this time showing off the M9 in a dot view case. The image, supposedly leaked by an HTC employee, gives us more insight into what the M9 probably looks like, and validates some design choices rumored to be true, like the removal of the Duo camera for a single camera.

The glorious front facing speakers should also be making a comeback as shown in the leaked images, though this time, instead of taking up a huge portion of the top and bottom they will be tiny slits, following in suit of the front facing speaker design of the Nexus 6. Hopefully, HTC does not have to accommodate for the smaller speakers by reducing the sound quality.

Screen-Size: The case of 1440p

As 2014 drew to a close, more and more flagship devices began to make the jump to resolutions beyond 1080p, and entered the arena of 1440p. Though there is talk of the HTC One M9 being a 5.5 inch 1440p display, most people are in general consensus of the rumor of a 5.0 inch 1080p, identical to last year’s HTC One M8 panel. This is a little disappointing, but still more than acceptable for the average user.

Performance: Staying on the Bleeding Edge

The HTC One M8, like nearly all other flagships of yesteryear, came packed with top of the line specs, an able, well-rounded performer, and with the HTC One M9, the public expects no less than top of line components here as well. You should expect to see noticeable upgrades in the RAM department, with the expected amount being 3GB to compete with other flagships of 2015, and a slightly upped battery to go along with it, but the question that remains up in the air is the processor.

Most phones toward the end of 2014 began using the Snapdragon 805, but as we move deeper into 2015, it becomes unclear whether HTC will opt to use the newer Snapdragon 810, or keep costs lower with the slightly older yet still very much capable Snapdragon 805. Regardless, the HTC M9 will be an able performer when pitted against all flagships in the year of 2015.

Camera: Fixing Old Mistakes

One of the largest downsides of the HTC M8, holding it back from near perfection, was the 4 mega pixel (MP) rear facing Duo camera. HTC didn’t seem to learn from their poor camera performance from the HTC One M7, and choose to put the same camera into the HTC One M8, slightly altering the design by putting a second shooter that added some gimmicky blur and 3d effects. Sure, the Duo camera was cool for the first week or two, but after that, I found myself never really using the features offered by it.

HTC finally seeks to redeem themselves by implementing a 20.7MP camera, with the Duo camera design likely being ditched for this superior singular camera. Whether this camera will incorporate Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) is still up in the air, but it would nonetheless be a great addition.

Conclusion:

The successor to arguably HTC’s greatest phone is nearly upon us, and we have begun to see a vision of the upcoming HTC M9 could look like. What HTC has in store for us consumers seems like a step in the right direction. Though it may not be the revolutionary device you are seeking, it is certain an evolutionary device in the standing series of the HTC One, and will most likely be of the greatest phones in the year to come.