HTC unveils giant 5.9in One Max Android smartphone with fingerprint scanner

HTC has unveiled its latest Android smartphone, the One Max, confirming that the giant handset will launch in the UK with Vodafone by the end of October.

The Max features a sizeable 5.9in full HD display, making it significantly larger than the 4.7in display featured on the original HTC One. HTC has loaded the Max with a rear fingerprint scanner. Unlike the iPhone 5S's Touch ID fingerprint scanner, which uses the sub-epidermal skin layers of its user's finger to authenticate their identity, the One Max's scanner is purely capacitive.

This means the Max's scanner authenticates the fingerprint using the outer, physical bumps of the user's finger. An HTC spokesman told V3 the inclusion of the scanner is designed more for productivity than security, to allow people to open apps once the phone is already unlocked.

"We've added a fingerprint scanner for convenience of use. For many people when holding a larger screen they don't have the dexterity to do everything one handed. The fingerprint scanner makes it so you can do things like open the phone or register a finger to open an app. It's more for accessibility," he said.

The Max also features a detachable metal backplate, which grants access to a microSD card slot and micro SIM when removed. Other key changes include the addition of a larger 3,300mAh battery, the use of Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and HTC's new Sense 5.5 user interface.

The HTC spokesman told V3 the new Sense version is designed to "make things easier and more discoverable" on services such as the company's custom BlinkFeed news aggregator home screen.

Sense 5.5 does this by letting users link their social media accounts to BlinkFeed. BlinkFeed then uses information, such as which items users have liked and shared on Facebook, to more intelligently aggregate what content it pushes to its user. The upgraded BlinkFeed also lets users set the feed up to automatically push content containing specific keywords and topics.

The Max's specifications are fairly similar to those of the original One smartphone. It is confirmed to run using a 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor and feature the same 2GB of RAM and 4MP UltraPixel rear camera.

The spokesman told V3 that the Max will launch in the UK "by the end of the week" with Vodafone, but declined to disclose its price. Check back with V3 later for a full review of the HTC One Max.

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