The new Nothing Phone (2a) was drop-tested/Photo of the Nothing company
Nothing Phone (2a) is the company's first mid-range smartphone. Therefore, some changes had to be made in its design. Obviously, to make it cheaper.
The original phone (1) and the more expensive phone (2) have aluminum frames sandwiched between sheets of Gorilla Glass on the front and back. The (2a) model has Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and an aluminum middle frame, but the back is plastic.
Does that make it less durable? A drop test by PBKreviews found the phone to be tough as nails, even though it's not made of nails – it's made from 100% recycled aluminum, over 50% of the plastic is also recycled. In fact, the phone (2a) uses materials left over from the production of Nothing Ear headphones (2).
Nothing Phone (2a) passed the drop test: watch the video
That's right, after a few drops, no more damage than a few scuffs and scratches. Gorilla Glass 5 on the front is not the latest development (it was released back in 2016), but it passed the test with flying colors.
And while the middle frame may be aluminum, it is covered in paint ( especially on the white version). The paint holds very well. And even the plastic back survived the collision with the asphalt.
This once again confirms the opinion of experts that high-quality plastic backs in smartphones are the right decision. It not only makes gadgets cheaper, but also makes them more resistant to damage in case of falls.