The likely specs for the forthcoming successor to the HTC One flagship smartphone have emerged through information obtained by GSMArena.

The Taiwan-based manufacturer will be looking to the next version of the One, codenamed M8, to revive its current fortunes. The current HTC One was well received but the company saw sales slide yet again in February.

The unofficial preliminary spec sheet shows that, as previously rumoured, the new One will have a 5-inch screen supported by a 2.3GHz quad-core processor.

Its body will be thicker than some rivals at 9.35mm and it will weigh 160g. The smartphone will have a 2,600 mAh battery providing up to 14 hours of talk time. The device is also believed to have an on-board barometer, according to GSMArena.

HTC said in its Mobile World Congress press conference that a big announcement is planned for 25 March, with HTC chairwoman Cher Wang proclaiming that “the world’s best smartphone will get even better”.

By launching the device shortly after Samsung, Sony and Huawei unveiled flagship models in Barcelona, HTC will be fighting for space in operator portfolios and retail stores against similarly capable smartphones.

Camera specs appear to be similar to the version launched in 2013, although the front-facing camera has been upgraded to 5 megapixels. The video function is believed to record in 1080p rather than the 4K of some rivals.

Leaked images of the phone show two holes in the back cover which could indicate two rear-facing cameras or the addition of a fingerprint sensor, which the HTC One Max phablet already possesses.

Samsung’s Galaxy S5, unveiled at Mobile World Congress last month, has a second sensor on its back cover which serves as a heart rate monitor.

Other previously reported changes include navigation buttons moving to the top of the screen, as opposed to a separate bar, with a smaller bezel surrounding the screen. It will also feature an updated version of the HTC Sense UI.