Love the way the iPhone looks, but not too keen on a closed ecosystem with a premium price tag? We get it. You know who else gets it? HTC. How else would you explain the HTC One A9, the company’s latest Android smartphone that looks like the middle brother of the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus? Seriously.
If you’ve ever wanted a device that looked like an iPhone but ran Android, this is your dreams coming true. From the anodized aluminum case to the overall shape to the machined speaker grille situated at the bottom, you can, literally, slap an Apple logo on this and people won’t be the wiser. It’s an unabashed copy. And while you’re probably smart avoiding knockoffs when you’re gear-shopping, this phone actually makes a strong case for taking up space in your pants pocket.
The HTC One A9 sports a 5-inch 1080p AMOLED display, so it should be able to closely match the iPhone’s Retina in brightness and vibrancy (albeit probably coming up short). It’s also the first smartphone to use the new Snapdragon 617 chip, with 3GB of RAM, so it should run most any app in your library without a hitch. Features include an ultra-slim 7.2 mm frame, a 13 megapixel rear camera with optical image stabilization, a 4 megapixel front-facing camera, 32GB of onboard storage (with microSD card expansion), and a 2,150 mAh battery. There’s also support for both high-res audio and Dolby Surround Sound, complete with a built-in DAC for upscaling 16-bit audio to 24-bit, ensuring it delivers an enhanced music experience. It runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow.
The best part? While it looks an iPhone, the HTC One A9 isn’t priced like one, retailing for $399.99.