I adore everything about the Nothing Phone 3a and 3a Pro, except the star feature

In a world where Samsung and Apple continue to hit “CTRL-V” each year for their phone designs, thank goodness we have companies like Nothing. Love ’em or hate ’em, you can’t deny that Nothing is willing to forge a unique path in the world of Android smartphones and even figure out ways to switch up its own formulas to keep things fresh. This has never been more apparent than right now with the simultaneous launches of two phones: the Nothing Phone 3a and Nothing Phone 3a Pro.

Ultimately, these are two very similar phones, with one geared towards a general audience on a budget (3a) and one geared towards folks who value great cameras but don’t have $1,000 to spend (3a Pro). I had the opportunity to use both phones for a few days, and here are my thoughts!