HTC's upcoming flagship smartphone called the M7 has been revealed online ahead of its launch.

It seems that HTC can't keep many of its phones under wraps until launch. The latest to break cover is the M7 which is expected to be announced at Mobile World Congress (MWC) next month in Barcelona. See also: Samsung Galaxy S4 to get 5in Full HD screen.

The render of the M7 comes from a short animation clip to show new users how to insert the SIM card, according to UnwiredView. The M7 which the site says is 'meant to reverse the fortunes of the slumping Taiwanese manufacture' might differ from the leak since there's no branding and it's a simple animation of the phone which lacks detail.

See also Group test: what's the best Android phone.

Based on the render, the HTC M7 won't look too different from the white iPhone 5. The M7 will be the follow-up to the One X and One X+.

Supposed specifications for the M7 include a 4.7in Full HD (1920 x 1080) screen and a 1.7GHz quad-core processor which matches up mostly to the smartphones we saw announced at CES. Namely the Sony Xperia Z, Huawei Ascend D2 and ZTE Grand S.

UnwiredView says the HTC M7 will be released a matter of weeks after MWC with a price tag in excess of $600 in the US. We're probably talking APS500+ in the UK.

The only other information available at the moment is that the smartphone will feature an infrared port on the top with 'learning capabilities' so the M7 can be used as a universal remote control for all the gadgets around the home.