While we were anticipating an HTC One M8 mini and M8 max as follow ups to the original this year, this leaked picture of the “M8 Ace” comes as a surprise. Dressed in a vibrant red, it bears a striking resemblance to HTC’s latest flagship, but it might not cost you quite as much.

The picture was published on Twitter by @Evleaks — the same source that leaked the original M8 weeks before its launch — so we know it’s genuine. What we don’t know, however, is exactly what the M8 Ace will bring — or indeed when it will be available.

Based on the blurry image of BlinkFeed shown on the handset’s display, and the size of the volume rocker compared to the rest of the phone, it appears this particular device will be shorter and narrower than the original M8. Its speaker grilles above and beneath the display are also noticeable different.

HTC could follow Sony’s Xperia Z1 Compact and make the M8 mini a smaller version of the original with similar specifications, paving the way for a midrange M8 Ace that looks similar but has slightly less exciting internals. Or M8 Ace could simply be the internal codename for the regular M8 mini.

We can’t be sure at this point, but what we can be sure of is HTC has other M8 handsets up its sleeve for 2014 — and we’ll certainly be seeing more of them over the coming weeks and months now that they’re started leaking out.

• SourceEvleaks