The HTC One Max hasn't so much arrived as stomped on to the scene with its giant 5.9-inch screen and iPhone 5S-aping fingerprint scanner.
So is big beautiful or baffling? Can a Snapdragon 600 processor provide enough grunt to last you the next two years? Can the battery realistically keep up with that giant full HD screen?
- For more in-depth thoughts on the handset, check out our hands on HTC One Max review: coming soon.
Gareth - Phones and Tablets Editor
HTC has clearly made a phone to tick a box here. The One Max offers nothing that the One didn't have apart from a larger screen and battery. It's not a bad phone since it's based on such a good model, but there's definitely a missed opportunity here. HTC seems to have done the minimum amount possible to serve the Asian market.
The fingerprint scanner is almost farcically bad compared with Apple's refined and integrated offering and, because the handset is likely to command a higher price and its new Blinkfeed and Gallery features are coming to the One in the near future, it's hard to recommend the One Max despite it initially looking so impressive.
Knee-jerk score: 3
John - Phones and Tablets Writer (UK)
The One Max announcement has surprised no one, but I'm still intrigued by this handset. A larger One with a microSD slot and a fancy fingerprint scanner makes it an appealing proposition - yet I fear its size and especially its weight (at 217g/7.5oz) is going to make it an unwieldy device in the hand.
What the One Max will do is give the Galaxy Note 3 some stiff competition, and from first impressions it's a better looking smartphone and one I'd be tempted to pick up.
Knee-jerk score: 4
Kate - News Editor (UK)
Looks nice, sounds nice, smells nice (probably) but the HTC One Max is too big. Way too big. As the old saying goes, if I wanted to use a tablet as a phone, I'd buy a tablet and use it as a phone.
Knee-jerk score: 3
Hugh - Staff Writer (UK)
I'm still not sold on the whole phablet idea but after spending a lot more time with the Galaxy Note 3, I'm coming around to it. The HTC One Max looks like it could be another one to win me over to more sizeable handsets, but it's the fingerpint sensor I'm most intrigued by.
I certainly wasn't a fan of what the LG G2 did with putting its volume and power buttons on the reverse, but given that my middle finger tends to rest there, it might make a lot of sense. At least the volume buttons are staying where they belong. It's a bit of a shame it's not coming with the Snapdragon 800, but life goes on.
Knee-jerk score: 3.5
Patrick - Editor in Chief (UK)
I've always been a bit split about phablets anyway - but I have to admit that the envy I feel for Note 3 users simply will not transfer to the HTC One Max. Why not? Taking the HTC One shell and making it bigger must have seemed like a good idea at the outset, but it actually leaves the Max with significant problems. It's too heavy, too chunky and the addition of a removable battery cover makes it feel less premium. A real shame.
Knee-jerk score: 3
Kane - Staff Writer (UK)
After nearly picking up a HTC One but instead opting for a Note 2 last year, I don't think I'll be able to resist the HTC One Max's larger-than-life charm this time around. Its gorgeous chrome-tinged phablet body has drawn out my magpie tendencies, and I can imagine its monstrous battery, which beats the Note 2's, being all kinds of useful. My only concern is that at 5.9in/15cm and 7.5oz/217g it may be a bit too cumbersome to be comfortable, so I'll reserve judgment until I've given it a try.
Knee-jerk score: 4
Total knee-jerk score out of five: 3.41
Sure we're maxin' but we're also relaxin' all cool with these other reactions for your enjoyment:
