???? In this issue, we’ve got reviews of both the Apple iPhone XS and Google Pixel 3 XL done and dusted. Our main shootout of the month is for the best budget smartphone. So yes, there’s really no getting away from talking about phones. However, there are other stories brewing in and around the tech world that doesn’t revolve solely around smartphones. Audio technology has never been as sexy as the other ?elds of tech because it’s something we can’t see or feel, and performance can be considered arbitary since everyone’s listening preferences are different. And yet, advances to audio are actually very interesting as digital technology continues to be applied to an analog source (sound waves are analog in nature). Which brings us to the other kind of phone, the headphone. It’s a very simple device, with a single purpose, but think of the technological tightrope balance that is headphone design. From wireless streaming to audio quality, from virtual surround sound to noise cancellation, headphones also need to be fashionable, portable, rugged and functional. What’s next for headphones? Realistic spatial imaging apparently. Think Star Trek Holodeck, but for your ears.