HTC's One A9 is an Android-powered iPhone

If you've ever thought the iPhone looks great, but you just can't deal with iOS, HTC has the phone for you. One of the first handsets shipping with Android 6.0 Marshmallow, the 5-inch HTC One A9 is an unabashed iPhone 6 lookalike.

While HTC has spent the better part of two years cultivating its curved body design, that's all gone in the One A9, replaced with a flat back and a distinctly iPhone-like shape.

On the front of the phone, you'll find a familiar 5-inch Full HD display, but above and below it, HTC's distinctive boomsound stereo speakers are gone, replaced with a capacitive home button with an integrated fingerprint scanner.

While it looks like the Boomsound stereo speakers are gone, HTC is still focusing on delivering a high-end audio experience. The One A9 supports high-resolution audio and Dolby Surround Sound for headphones, and according to HTC, the internal circuit board layout has also been designed to ensure minimal electric distortion. The One A9 has a built-in DAC that upscales 16-bit audio to 24-bit and helps power more demanding sets of headphones.

On the rear, there's a new 13-megapixel sensor and an f/2.0 lens. Just like the iPhone, the camera lens is circled by a metal ring and slightly protrudes from the body. On the plus side, optical image stabilization finally makes its return to the One series, having been absent since the M7 in 2013. 

Inside, the One A9 is running on Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 617 octa-core processor. The phone will be available in both 16 and 32GB configurations, with both featuring expandable storage via microSD card with support up to 2TB. It looks like the 16GB version will come with 2GB RAM, and the 32GB version will have 3GB RAM.

Local pricing is currently unavailable, however the 32GB version will be available in the US for US$399.99 (~S$555). Strangely enough, in the UK, the 16GB version is priced at £429.99 (~S$922). Hopefully local prices will be more in line with US pricing. The phone will be available in Carbon Gray, Opal Silver, Topaz Gold, and Deep Garnet and is due for release in November.

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