HTC is expected to launch its rumored flagship device, the HTC One 2 or HTC M8, March 25.

HTC, one of the biggest smartphone makers, is preparing to launch its rumored HTC One 2 later than previously thought. The Taiwanese manufacturer will announce the successor of its popular HTC One smartphone at a special event scheduled for March 25. Previous reports hinted at a possible launch at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, next week, but the latest leaked image posted on Twitter by Russian site HTCFamily.ru suggests a delayed launch, which was also reported by Bloomberg last month.

The HTC One 2, codenamed M8, will likely pack a similar aluminium casing like its predecessor, but with a display slightly larger than One's 4.7-inch and smaller than the One Max's 5.9-inch, somewhere around 5-inches. Another press render from the same Russian HTC tipster shows the yet-to-be-announced HTC flagship will have two camera lenses at the rear paired with dual flash.

On the software front, the device is expected to come pre-loaded with Android 4.4 KitKat. That is expected as the company is popularly known to rollout latest updates to its smartphone lineup, soon after Google's own series like the Nexus and Google Play Edition devices get the updates.

According to a report from Mashable, citing the HTCFamily.ru as a source for a schematic of the device's front, the HTC One 2 will follow its signature design without any physical buttons.

While it is disappointing for the HTC fans to learn that the company will not make any grand appearance at the lavish mobile-centric event, starting February 24 till February 27, but there is a lot to look forward to at the event from other OEMs including Samsung, Nokia, BlackBerry, Sony and LG. Samsung has long been teasing the mysterious launch of its future handset with "Unpacked 5" event poster. So far, predictions are that the world smartphone leader will announce its most-anticipated Galaxy S5 along with an updated version of its sluggish Galaxy Gear.