Leaked images of HTC's upcoming One Max show what appears to be a fingerprint scanner. The pictures come from Chinese social network Sina Weibo, and show the huge HTC One Max with the back of its case removed. The fingerprint scanner sits between the device's SIM slot and its camera. That placement suggests that, unlike the iPhone's thumb-reading scanner, One Max users will be scanning their forefingers.

The existence of the scanner has been purportedly confirmed by Verizon retail staff who have used the phone during training sessions. That confirmation comes with pictorial evidence: poster Jeremy Kessous on Android Central's forums provided images of the phone passed to him by a friend working for Verizon.

The HTC One Max's fingerprint scanner has apparently been confirmed by Verizon retail staff

Phones with fingerprint scanners predate the iPhone 5S, but HTC's addition can be seen as an obvious reply to Apple's Touch ID scanner. The iPhone uses the scanner to unlock its screen and authorize Apple Store purchases; although HTC hasn't confirmed the existence of the One Max's fingerprint scanner yet, it'll likely be used for similar tasks.

The HTC One Max has no set launch yet. It originally looked like it would arrive in September, but after missing that date, Phone Arena expects it closer to October 15th.