HTC is really bad with names, that became clear when they followed up the One X flagship with a One X+ and then One, so it was obvious right off the bat their 2014 spearhead would just aggravate the branding crisis.

One Plus, One Two, One Mega, or God forbid, One Air, they all sounded so bad we almost started to root for the M8 internal codename. Only ultimately, it looks like HTC might pull a rabbit out of the hat, and… drop the ball even harder.

According to leak grandmaster @evleaks, the high-end smartphone set to be formally announced next month is to carry the “All New One” moniker. No joke. So HTC All New One? Or maybe the all new HTC One. Either way, it has a lousy ring to it, plus it’s bound to build up confusion.

I mean, how is a non-geek with a life outside tech blogs to tell the difference between the One X, One X+, One and All New One? If you ask me, there was but one logical, half-smart solution for HTC’s conundrum: christen the M8 the “Two”.

Oh, well, more than branding and marketing, the all new HTC One’s fate shall depend on design, hardware and software. We’ve known a bit of each for a while now, and today @evleaks adds another photo in the pile.

Too bad it stars the All New One (I swear, that sounds like how a Neo heir would be called in a cheesy “Matrix” spin-off) in disguise. Specifically, inside a case not allowing us to check out the upcoming phone’s no doubt sleek and sturdy aluminum unibody, its curves and splendid lines. But there’s still plenty of time for that, right?

Via [Twitter] (1), (2)