Tonight we attended a launch event for HTC’s new flagship Android phone, the One M9, and things are certainly looking good for fans of the brand who won’t have to wait too long to get their hands on one.

There are also plenty of reasons to want one, not least because it sports HTC’s classic all-metal design and is packed with cutting-edge tech, just as one would expect from a flagship phone.

These include Dolby surround sound, HTC’s BoomSound tech that makes the phone’s tiny speakers sound surprisingly loud and potent, the ability to wirelessly throw audio signals to compatible Bluetooth speakers, 20MP rear-facing and “Ultrapixel” front-facing snappers and Sense 7, the latest iteration of HTC’s Android skin/user interface that the company promises is its best yet.

First impressions are good; at the event we got some hands-on time with it, and were happy to note how it responded beautifully to presses, swipes and gestures. The phone’s gorgeous metal body made it feel very nice to touch and hold, and we found that it’s neither too big nor too small to hold and operate comfortably with one hand.

And the screen looked crisp and sharp thanks to a resolution high enough that individual pixels were not visible whatsoever. So yes, first impressions are very good indeed.

In case you’re wondering just how much one of these will set you back and what colours it will come in when it arrives, we have answers.

The HTC One M9 will initially be available in Gold/Silver and Gunmetal Grey, and you’re looking in the region of R10k for an up-front purchase and around R499 pm or so on contract.

And *drumroll* the @HTCSouthAfrica M9 will carry a price of R10k prepaid and from about R499 pm on contract… #HTCOneLifeSA

— Brett Haggard (@Brettski) April 8, 2015

We will have more for you in the coming days as we spend more time with our review unit.