Reports are emerging that HTC is to further its partnership with Microsoft beyond mobile phones. A source claims that the Taiwanese manufacturer will launch two Windows RT tablets in the new year - one 7-inch, one 12-inch.

In addition, the same source says the 7-inch version will also be able to make phone calls, which would make it the largest smartphone on the market, easily dwarfing the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, which has a 5.5-inch screen.

The 7-inch Windows RT tablet would also be the first at that size to adopt Microsoft's tablet operating system, the "person familiar with the company's plans" told the Bloomberg news service. The source, who declined to be named because of the information not yet being made public, also explained that HTC would see the smaller of the two devices as a direct competitor to the Nexus 7 and Apple's iPad mini.

Read: Microsoft Surface RT review

Microsoft has had trouble getting its Surface tablets on to the market fast enough. Although it has been widely well received, the public has had difficulty purchasing it. In the UK, it was only available online for a couple of months after launch, through the software giant's dedicated store page. However, as of last Friday (14 December) John Lewis is now stocking the device on the high street too.

HTC entering the market though would help Windows RT reach a much wider market. It would also bring the manufacturer back into the tablet space, which it hasn't been a part of since the HTC Flyer in May 2011.