A recent video on YouTube has revealed that the Nothing Phone 2a is considerably more durable than you might expect.
The Nothing Phone 2a is Nothing's first mid-range phone and shares some similar designs with the prior two models. It has the same Gorilla glass-covered screen and aluminum sides as the Nothing Phone 1 and Nothing Phone 2. However, the Nothing Phone 2a does not have a glass back; instead, it has a plastic back.
While we can test the software and specifications of the phones we review, we do not have the means to perform drop tests, so it is always interesting to see how models perform. This video comes to us from PBKReviews, who tested the Nothing Phone 2a by dropping it at different angles from both waist and head height.
Throughout the test, we see the Nothing Phone 2a dropped onto the front, the back, and the side, and there is little more than a few bits of scratched paint. The screen doesn’t crack or shatter, aside from a minor break in the corner when dropped on its side. Overall, the phone is remarkably tough, especially considering it uses Gorilla Glass 5 formulations released in 2016.
It should be noted that PBKReviews did a drop test on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, and the screen did crack when dropped from waist height. The crack was small but it did mean that he did not do the test from head height as it would likely crack the screen more.
We have also previously reported on Allstate’s drop test for the Galaxy S24 which saw the screen completely smash. However, that test did involve dropping the Galaxy S24 from 6 feet, which may have been the deciding factor.
This kind of physical durability for a phone that costs less than $350 is something we should expect to see more of in today's market. This durability, when combined with the improved screen brightness over the Nothing Phone 2, the long battery life and the relatively good camera selection make the Nothing Phone 2a a great choice for those looking for a phone on a budget.
Drop tests can be hard to judge simply because of how many varying factors there can be. The height, location and even how the phone lands can all affect the result. However, that doesn’t mean they are a useless measurement, and the durability of the Nothing Phone 2a is great to see and will likely help it to reach the top positions in our next best cheap phones list.
