Summary

  • Nothing Phone 3a Pro’s durability tests are impressive; the phone survives testing and a teardown well.
  • New design elements like periscope lens and essential space AI button are well-engineered.
  • Features like replaceable circuit boards and the easily removable battery help the 3a Pro’s repairability.

Following the commercial success of the Nothing Phone 2a last year, former OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei’s latest smartphone brand just launched the Nothing Phone 3a series. It comprises two models launched side-by-side unlike the 2a Plus that followed the 2a after a few months. The newest releases feature a fresh spin on the iconic back panel design, more cameras, and the return to Qualcomm Snapdragon SoCs for processing. However, good-looking design should stand the test of time as well, and a durability test delivered surprising results.

A -Nothing Phone 2a with a circuitboard in the background


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No disassembly necessary

Durability tests aren’t usually scientific, but some YouTube creators like Zack Nelson of Jerryrigeverything fame have managed to standardize processes sufficiently to understand how a smartphone will fare in its lifetime, in just a short duration. In the latest video testing the new Nothing Phone 3a Pro, Nelson found the unboxing experience rather underwhelming.

In a scratch test with Mohs hardness picks, both displays scratched at level six with deeper grooves at level seven, even though the 3a Pro sports Panda Glass. The fingerprint sensors both phones hold up well to scratches too. The glass back panel on the new device is reliably scratch-resistant, and they should remain unaffected if you carry your keys, coins, and phone in the same pocket. Both phones have similar displays with around 20 seconds of resistance to a direct flame.

Inside that fancy back panel

And that fancy periscope lens

Curiously, the Pro model’s chassis is plastic but the buttons are all metal, including the new convex one that launches the AI-powered Essential Space. Taking a peek under the clear back panel of the Pro, there’s a dedicated silicone ring around the mic that handles ambient noise cancellation for calls. Over a dozen screws hold the innards in place, but Nelson notes the 5,000mAh battery is still easy to remove. However, the glass back may shatter if the removal is careless or haphazard.

The charging port, loudspeaker, and cameras are all on independent replaceable circuit boards, which is a win for repairability. The latter, however, is the mainboard, with an underside slathered in thermal paste to ensure heat dissipation towards the display, through an aluminum mid-frame. That mid-frame also helps maintain rigidity against forceful bending of the device.

This is Nothing’s first implementation of a telephoto camera with optical zoom, and when Nelson tore into it, he found a rather conventional arrangement with electromagnets moving a prism on a linear rail to zoom, focus, and stabilize the image.

Overall, the Nothing Phone 3a Pro survived the durability test without breaking in half or dying on the workbench. It also survives a full teardown and reassembly, which should be reassuring for potential buyers. It’s remarkable how flagship Android phones from other brands have sometimes failed to pass Nelson’s test with flying colors, but the rather affordable Nothing Phone 3a Pro aces it.