There are two ways to make a "mini" phone these days. The first is typified by Samsung and HTC, who have made Mini versions of the Galaxy SIII, S4, and HTC One with lower specs to match the physically smaller size. The second way is to make smaller phones that still strive to be the technical equal of their larger stablemates, like the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact and the Motorola DROID Mini. Guess which way HTC is going with its upcoming One refresh.

HTC M8 mini (mem_ul): SD400 (1.4GHz x4), 4.5", 720p, 1GB/16GB (+microSD), 13MP/5MP, a/b/g/n/ac, BT4.0, KK4.4.2, Sense6.0, buttons on screen.

— @evleaks (@evleaks) February 8, 2014

Well, allegedly going, anyway. Noted Twitter leak machine Evleaks posted a set of leaked specs for the "HTC M8 Mini" yesterday, showing a device that's smaller, cheaper, and less powerful than even the current One from 2013. A Snapdragon 400 processor, 720p 4.5" screen, and 1GB of RAM aren't going to impress many power-hungry users, although the 13 megapixel real camera twinned to a 5MP front-facing shooter is impressive. Evleaks says the new model will use the latest version of KitKat and Sense 6.0. The 1GB of RAM on this mini model is particularly disappointing, since that was one of the chief complaints with the original One Mini, and at 4.5" I imagine even some users who crave smaller phones won't be satisfied.

This is the first reliable information we've heard about the mini variant of HTC's next flagship. (Evleaks' predictions are almost universally accurate.) A pair of leaked photos (or at least photos that are claiming to be leaks) have shown the M8 with a secondary rear camera of unknown function, and Evleaks himself showed off Sense 6.0 with on-screen buttons. The frequency of these leaks point to a possible reveal at Mobile World Congress in just two weeks.

Of course HTC hasn't said anything about any upcoming phones, and we haven't been able to independently confirm any of the leaks so far. That said, if the pattern continues, we should see more and more information as a possible announcement date draws near.

Source: Evleaks Twitter