• HTC One A9 is rumored to launch with Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

HTC One A9 is rumored to launch with Android 6.0 Marshmallow. (Photo : Youtube )

Will Taiwanese phonemaker HTC go the way of Samsung and engage Apple in patent lawsuits across continents?

On Wednesday, HTC President Jack Tong insisted that the company did not copy the iPhone; rather, it is the Cupertino-based tech giant that he accuses of copying HTC One A9. Tong made the defensive stand after the gadget got bad reviews, reports CNET.

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One such bad review came from Andrew Hoyle of the tech website, who wrote, "The HTC One A9 looks pretty much identical to the iPhone 6." In response, Tong states that the firm made a unibody metal-clad phone in 2013. He says, "It's Apple the copies us in terms of the antenna design on the back."

The two phonemakers actually has a 10-year licensing deal signed in 2012. After the agreement was inked, HTC and Apple agreed to halt all patent lawsuits.

HTC unveiled the flagship phone on Tuesday. It would be priced at $399.99 and start selling in November. But in the U.S., it could be pre-ordered that same day through HTC's online store.

Buyers have four colors to select from - Topaz Gold, Opal Grey, Deep Garnets and Carbon Grey. It features a physical button under the screen, which makes the menu button easier to use.

It has two options, the 16GB and 32GB internal capacity, with 2GB and 3GB RAM, respectively. HTC One A9 supports external memory up to 1TB of disk space. It has a Qualco Snapdragon 617 octa-core processer that runs at 1.5GHz and runs on a default Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS.