Shortly after the release of the HTC One in May 2013, leaked information revealed an upcoming HTC-produced phablet codenamed "T6", which was rumored to include a 5.9-inch 1080p display, stylus pen, and a fingerprint scanner.

Other images showed the rumored fingerprint scanner on its rear, and a Verizon-branded model for the United States.

[3][4][5] The HTC One Max was officially unveiled on 14 October 2013 for an almost-immediate release in European and Asian markets.

Internally, the One Max features a 1.7 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor with 2 GB of RAM, a 5.9 inch 1080p screen with a pixel density of 373 ppi, an infrared blaster and NFC, uses a larger (but still non-removable) 3300 mAh battery, and contains 16 or 32 GB of expandable storage.

Vlad Savov of The Verge particularly felt that the sensor, which requires users to vertically swipe it when scanning, was positioned too close to the camera, and required an "uncomfortable" hand position to use properly because a user's fingers would naturally lay at an angle on the rear of the device in normal use.