HTC might be introducing another smartphone to the One series.

The HTC One X9 is not a follow-up to the HTC One M9, but it is a mid-range, more affordable device instead.

HTC is said to have been working on a mid-ranged smartphone called the HTC One X9, CNet reports.

The first hint at the HTC One M9 comes from leaked photos discovered by the Chinese website ANZHOU.

Mid-range phones are entering the smartphone market as much more affordable alternatives to flagship smartphones. These mid-range devices do not have the premium features or fastest processors that flagship devices offer, but they still have respectable specifications and are suitable for most users.

Instead of putting all of their time and money and investing it into a flagship device, companies like HTC and Samsung have created mid-range devices aimed at people who don't need top-level specs and want to save money. HTC just released the One A9 smartphone in November.

The HTC One X9 would likely have a 5.5-inch screen that would be Full-HD. The phone might use a 13 megapixel (MP) rear-facing camera and a 4 MP front-facing camera that features UltraPixel technology. 

Instead of using a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, HTC might decide to use an eight-core Helio X10 chip made by MediaTek. This would be another way to save money and keep the price down on the One X9.

The leak also shows that the proposed phone would come in two storage options, 16 GB or 32 GB. The 16 GB version would have 2 GB of RAM and the 32 GB version would have 3 GB of RAM.

HTC could add their special touch of having dual front-facing speakers. This feature is called BoomSound. 

The phone would have a metal finish, slightly rounded corners and a decorative strip on the back near the camera.