HTC touts its latest flagship, the One A9, as being built with a super-thin metal frame that has an elegant finish.
At first glance, the One A9 tends to be mistaken for Apple's iPhone 6. Design-wise and color-wise, it has been subjected to a seemingly endless comparison against the iPhone.
While the company has repeatedly stressed that the One A9 is not in any way a copycat, the comparison seemed to have lingered as shown by the latest reviews on HTC's newest flagship.
Raymond Wong of Mashable: There's no hating on the One A9's design. I love my iPhone 6 and the One A9 is almost as beautiful. The One A9 has the same solid metal unibody frame, same palm-hugging curves and same curved glass screen. HTC has balls — real balls to sell a phone that so closely resembles the iPhone 6. The company is right in that it was the first with the unibody design/back antenna design, but as I said in my hands-on, being first doesn't matter. From the customer's point of view, the One A9 is a copy of the iPhone 6. The similarities are too obvious.
Chris Velazco of Engadget: The One A9 is a good phone. The build quality is first-rate. Marshmallow is a great software update. HTC's Sense UI isn't just bearable anymore; it's actually pretty nice! Oh, and the company gets credit for trying a different sort of design after milking its earlier, milder changes. Still, the A9 falls short of outright greatness, and that's not good enough in a market that's as utterly, ridiculously crowded as this one.
Malarie Gokey of Digital Trends: HTC has valid counterpoints to any design mimicry you accuse it of. It says that its corners are more perfectly curved for design balance, its camera is perfectly centered to give a more attractive look, and every element is placed just so to offer a sense of symmetry and beauty. Its designers are right — the One A9 is, in many ways, a more beautiful and polished iPhone. HTC took Apple's design and made it better. The A9 isn't a cheap imitation, but we fear it'll get that reputation.
Cherlynn Low of Tom's Guide: There are many things to love about the HTC One A9: Its great cameras, beautiful, if too-familiar design, convenient fingerprint sensor and relatively low price of $400. But it lacks the multitasking prowess of other phones in this price range. Also, if you get it after Nov. 6, it'll cost $500 — not quite the steal it is now. Overall, the HTC One [A]9 is a very good midrange phone, but it's not quite the best in its class. If you're going to get it, we suggest buying while the limited-time $399 pricing lasts.
Adam Clark Estes of Gizmodo: It looks like an iPhone. At 5.5 inches it's slightly bigger than an iPhone 6, slightly smaller than a 6 Plus. The A9 has the same shape, the same antenna lines, the same basic form factor as the very popular iPhone 6. Do you need a new phone so badly that you can snatch up the A9 at the $400 launch price and do you desperately want an iPhone form factor with the versatility of an Android phone? Then yes, you should buy it, but that's a lot of ifs for one particular niche individual.
