When the HTC One was released in February of this year, many critics and reviewers found the phone to be one of, if not the, best smartphones of 2013 and potentially the best smartphone ever invented. Those claims were backed this year when HTC announced that the HTC One had received more awards in 2013 than any other smartphone, including Apple’s iPhone5s.

And unlike the players recruited by John Calipari to play for the University of Kentucky, the HTC One is not going to be a one and done deal. Due to a slip of the tongue from a British judge, it has been revealed that the sequel to the HTC One, the HTC One 2 (codenamed HTC M8) will be released “in the first quarter of 2014 and possibly as early as February 2014.”

As it currently stands, though, not much is known about the HTC One 2. Trusted smartphone investigators and leakers, @evleaks, Tweeted supposed specs for the new HTC One 2 earlier last month:

Sounds like the HTC M8 is — and you could probably predict — a 5-inch, 1080p handset powered by KitKat and a Snapdragon 800.

— @evleaks (@evleaks) November 15, 2013

If the leaked specs from @evleaks are accurate, then the HTC One 2 will not be entirely different from its predecessor. The HTC One currently boasts a 4.7 inch screen and runs an Android based OS, so the core of the smartphone will remain the same. Also staying the same is the overall construction of the HTC One 2. Pictures leaked earlier last month show that the HTC One 2 will still feature its sleek, aluminum body design, something the HTC One received much praise for when it hit the market:

Where the phone will reportedly differ, however, is with the processor and the camera. The quad-core, Snapdragon processor rumored to be in the HTC One 2 will be an upgrade from the HTC One and will make the phone faster and better able to rival other high-end phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S4. There are also rumors that HTC will abandon its 4 megapixel camera better in low-light situations for a 10 megapixel camera more similar to models offered on competing smartphones.

The HTC One 2 will also feature the newest 802.11ac Wi-Fi standards, meaning the phone will be able to alternate between two different Wi-Fi bands, allowing the phone to access the internet at faster than ever speeds. Along with increased internet speeds, the leaked pictures indicate that the HTC One 2 will also offer a fingerprint scanner, an option already available on the HTC One Max.

For the sake of continuing its current operations, HTC must ensure that the HTC One 2 is successful. In 2013, HTC posted its first ever financial loss after going public. To make matters worse, judges in the UK handed down an injunction against HTC in a lawsuit filed by Nokia in which the Finnish corporation claimed HTC had violated the patent rights of certain Nokia products.

HTC hopes the HTC One 2 will be the phone to help the company rebound from its financial and credential losses.

Images via UnwiredView.com and HTC