Australian Review: Telstra Signature Premium – Copying the good and the bad

Telstra's put its own name on plenty of phones before, but the Signature Premium is the first time the telco has stuck the big T on a high-end product. Of course, Telstra doesn't build its own phones, it simply renames them; in this case, the Signature Premium is rebadged HTC One A9.

The One A9 was unveiled toward the end of last year, pitched as a premium midrange smartphone. Much ado was made about the One A9's design, and understandably so, the handset is almost a dead ringer for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s. It's different enough to not be a knockoff, but it's not exactly original. While some argue HTC was using the One A9's design language long before Apple unveiled the iPhone 6, the company's prior phones had a very different look and feel. But even if HTC did intentionally mimic Apple, at least they took inspiration from a good looking device.

While the HTC One A9 never made it to Australian shores, Telstra has decided to pick it up, rebox it, and sell it as the Signature Premium.