Is this our first glimpse of HP's return to the smartphone game?

The news that HP may make a return to the smartphone business is refusing to die down and we now have a render to cast our eyes over, although its origins are unclear.

HP hasn't exactly shied away from a potential return to the phone sphere, with the firm's CEO revealing it was working on a smartphone last year. That was followed by similar comments from another exec in February and a senior director earlier this month.

PhoneArena has now got hold of a render which claims to show HP's Android smartphone, but the tipster who passed it over didn't present any information on the device.

In terms of design the handset in the picture appears to borrow its shape from the iPhone 5, while the centralised notification light below the screen is reminiscent of the Nexus 4.

Dock me

No clues were given as to how the tipster came about the render, or how well connected they are so we're taking this leak with a sizable pinch of salt for now.

Another hint that HP is working on mobile solutions has come via a patent application picked up by Patently Apple, which documents an ultrabook with a dock for a mobile phone built into it.

This phone, however, is said to be powered by Windows and not Android allowing it to seamlessly integrate with the computer, suggesting HP may develop handsets to run on Windows Phone as well as Google's offering.

We'll have to wait and see if these ideas really do come to fruition, but we're intrigued as to what HP may be able to offer the already crowed mobile market.