HTC One A9: leaks offer insight into new HTC smartphone

New leaks for the HTC One A9 have the tech world buzzing for 20 October, when the Taiwanese technology giant is expected to unveil the new smartphone.

Coming after the HTC One M9, released in August, the HTC One A9 could be "one of the most powerful smartphones in the world" or fairly "mid-range", depending on which rumours are to be believed, says [1]TechRadar. Twitter tipster @OnLeaks has leaked photos that he says may show a dummy HTC One A9, also known as the HTC Aero, with features that closely resemble the Apple iPhone.

So, what else do we know about the A9?

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There are six colours

Leaked photos show six potential colours for users, including "Deep Garnet" and "Acid Gold", alongside more traditional hues of grey. Photos also show a curved aluminium design, with inlaid plastic lines for the antenna bands running along its back.

An iPhone lookalike?

The HTC One A9 resembles an iPhone, according to critics. TechRadar calls it "iPhone-inspired" and "taking its design cues from the iPhone 6S… showing large top and bottom bezels and a metal edge". The Verge, however, is quick to point out the comparison might be unfair, "since it was HTC, not Apple, that first used plastic antenna channels embedded in an aluminium unibody design".

Is it as good as an iPhone?

Expectations were running high for the A9, but some leaks suggest it might not be as high-powered as the latest iPhone. According to TechRadar, the new HTC looks set to "have a much more mid-range feel", although there are several different rumours about its specs. These range from a "fairly modest" Snapdragon 617 processor and 2GB of RAM to a 1.96GHz deca-core MediaTek Helio X20 SoC and 4GB of RAM, which is "a huge amount of power for a smartphone". Nothing has yet been confirmed by HTC.

Any cool features?

Rumour has it that Google's latest Android version, 6.0 Marshmallow, will be the A9's integrated software. Look out for that, as well as for a possible quad high-definition screen and a ground-breaking camera, says TechRadar.

Who are its competitors?

Initially predicted to be a high-end phone, rivalling iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S, the current leaks point to a mid-range feel, but with a competitive price, says The Verge. In that case, it might well rival the MotoG or the OnePlus Mini. The price will say all, but critics believe it will retail for less than its £500 M9 predecessor.