HTC confirmed the release of its long-anticipated One Max phablet, which it said offers the “design, functionality and performance of the HTC One to fans of larger handsets”.

The headline feature of the device is the 5.9-inch, full-HD display. It also includes a fingerprint scanner, located on the back face, a feature which gained in prominence following Apple’s addition of a fingerprint scanner to its iPhone 5s.

In the case of the One Max, the fingerprint scanner enables users to lock or unlock the screen and launch up to three favourite applications by assigning an individual finger to each.

One Max is powered by a 1.7GHz quadcore Snapdragon 600 processor. It has a “large 3300mAh” battery, with an optional “Power Flip Case” expansion pack available for heavy users.

Available in “glacial silver”, it will begin its global rollout from “mid-end October”.

The Wall Street Journal noted that HTC’s decision to unveil the unit in Asia rather than Europe (where One debuted) or the US reflects the growing importance of markets such as China to the vendor.