We saw some pretty big smartphone announcements at IFA 2013 earlier this month, including Samsung's introduction of the Galaxy Note 3 and Sony's Xperia Z1 unveiling. One device that didn't make the trip to Berlin, though, was the HTC One Max. Right now it's unclear when HTC actually plans to introduce us to its new pocket-stretching handset, but the good news is that some new images of the One Max have surfaced to help whet the appetite of anyone that's waiting for it.

Posted to Sina Weibo, the photos claim to show a silver HTC One Max prototype resting in-between black and silver HTC One units. The One Max in these images looks fairly similar to the units that we saw pop up in late August, complete with a square cutout beneath its camera that's rumored to be a fingerprint scanner. We can also see a set of circles in the lower right of the phone's rear, and while it's not yet known exactly what purpose they serve, it's been suggested that they could help the One Max connect to some sort of charging cradle.

The One Max is expected to be the big, phone/tablet hybrid sibling of HTC's One family. While the original One and the One mini both fit into the 4-inch range with their 4.7-inch and 4.3-inch screens, the One Max will reportedly jump almost up to the 6-inch range with a display that measures 5.9 inches in size. The One Max is also rumored to sport an UltraPixel rear camera and 2GB RAM.

Speaking of the One Max's specs, a new report has surfaced that claims that HTC's giganto-phone will come to market with a different processor than has previously been rumored. According to @evleaks, the One Max will be powered by a 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro chip, not a Snapdragon 800 as others have suggested. That may be a bit of a bummer for some, but it's probably a good idea to wait until HTC actually releases the One Max before getting too worked up. Stay tuned and I'll give you a shout once we know exactly when that'll happen.

Via Unwired View, Sina Weibo, @evleaks