Hot on the heels of Apple's announcement of a gold iPhone 5s and Samsung's debut of two gold Galaxy S 4 models, HTC has apparently been bitten by the gold bug as well. The company today revealed a new gold version of the HTC One, but there's one difference between this device and the aforementioned offerings from Apple and Samsung that's worth noting: This One is made from real 18-carat gold.

HTC says that only five of units of the gold-plated One will be made. Each unit is valued at £2,750 ($4,419 USD), and the company plans to give one of them away to the winner of the Best Newcomer category at the MOBO Awards in Glasgow on Oct. 19. There's no word yet on what HTC has planned for the remaining four devices.

While Apple chose to pair gold and white for its iPhone 5s and Samsung is offering brown and pink versions of its golden Galaxy S 4, HTC has opted for a gold and black combo on its One that looks pretty spiffy. Unfortunately, it's unlikely that regular folks like you and I will ever get to actually buy or even handle one of these 18CT gold beauties, which is definitely a bit of a bummer. At least we've got plenty of high-quality photos to stare at.

Via HTC