Two days ago, HTC unveiled a new flagship phone, the $399 One A9, with most of the headlines calling the device an iPhone lookalike due to its two-tone design, the antenna bands and a protruding camera lens on the back. The device indeed bears a striking resemblance to Apple’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s smartphone series.
The One A9 is a bit different than its predecessors, though, as it seems to shirk some of the design aesthetic that was so apparent in its M-branded brethren to, instead, favor something that looks more like the iPhone 6/6s that Apple is famous for. Indeed, the One A9, which was announced on October 20, looks like an iPhone 6s, but HTC isn’t taking those claims lightly.
The company’s President of HTC North Asia, Jack Tong, has denied flat-out that it copies Apple, instead opting to go a different direction and point out that Apple copies them, by mentioning the fact that they launched a metal unibody smartphone back in 2013. Moreover, Tong says the fact that the One A9 is lighter and thinner than previous One smartphones is simply evolution, and has nothing to do with copying another company.
From the Want China Times:
Tong did not comment on other design features of the One A9 that HTC seemingly copied from the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s. That being said, his nervous reaction is most likely a defensive PR move prompted by The Verge’s damning description of the One A9 as “the most blatant and highest-profile iPhone ripoff since Samsung’s original Galaxy S.”
The company’s President of HTC North Asia, Jack Tong, has denied flat-out that it copies Apple, instead opting to go a different direction and point out that Apple copies them, by mentioning the fact that they launched a metal unibody smartphone back in 2013. Moreover, Tong says the fact that the One A9 is lighter and thinner than previous One smartphones is simply evolution, and has nothing to do with copying another company.
From the Want China Times:
“We’re not copying. We made a uni-body metal-clad phone in 2013. It’s Apple that copies us in terms of the antenna design on the back,” said Jack Tong, president of HTC North Asia. “The A9 is made thinner and more lightweight than our previous metal-clad phones. This is a change and evolution, and we’re not copying,” he insisted.
Available in Carbon Gray, Opal Silver, Topaz Gold and Deep Garnet color, the new HTC phone is available for pre-order and will be shipping later this year. The One A9 is priced at $399, sold unlocked and will be available on all major US carriers beginning in November 2015.
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