If the new HTC One A9 looked familiar too you, it’s probably because it’s near-identical to Apple’s iPhone.
That’s been a particular pain-point for HTC, and one it’s keen to play down.
Speaking at a press briefing at the Taiwan launch of the new phone, Jack Tong, president of HTC North Asia, hit back at claims that the company had copied Apple.
“We’re not copying,” said Tong, as quoted in a Want China Times report. “We made a uni-body metal-clad phone in 2013.”
Tong continued: “
He added: “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.”
The HTC One A9 seemingly takes a number of design cues from the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S.
These include prominent antenna bands around the top and bottom of the phone, a protruding, circular camera module, and a flat, metallic, curved chassis.
Related: HTC One A9 vs One M9: What’s new?
HTC’s new mid-range phone was unveiled on Tuesday, landing with Google’s new Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS in tow.
It’s also got a Snapdragon 617 chip, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and a multi-directional fingerprint scanner.
Do you think HTC pilfered Apple’s design language? Let us know in the comments.
Check out our HTC One A9 hands-on video:
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
