Smart phones

Sometimes you come across a phone that leaves you slightly speechless – not because it's throwing out impossible numbers on paper, but because it leaves you feeling like you've just paid a grand, but in reality you've only given change. The Nothing Phone 3a and its slightly more beefy sibling, the 3a Pro, are exactly that kind of case. For $379 and $459, respectively, Nothing serves up an experience that you could easily swap for a flagship – well, with a few minor tweaks, of course. And that's exactly what drew me to Nothing this year: because they don't have any more expensive models to protect in their lineup, they've thrown themselves into design and user experience without hesitation, where the price tag really doesn't hit you in the face.