See if the new Nothing Phone 3 bends or breaks in this durability test

By Trevor Mogg Published July 16, 2025

Marketed by Nothing as its first true flagship (though some beg to differ on this point), the Nothing Phone 3 garnered a lot of interest when it officially launched at the start of this month.

Of course, it wasn’t long before the new $799 handset fell into the hands of popular tech YouTuber Zack Nelson (he of JerryRigEverything), who took no time at all in putting it through its paces in his carefully designed and very unscientific durability test.

As usual, the box cutter makes an appearance early on. Here, the Nothing Phone 3 would’ve recoiled in horror if smartphones were capable of such a thing. But they can’t. So it didn’t.

Nelson scrapes the blade down the phone’s sides, which are made of anodized aluminum and therefore scratch up pretty badly. 

During his enthusiastic dragging of the cutter across the phone’s various surfaces, Nelson points out that the Nothing Phone 3 has a USB-C 2.0 port, which he describes as “wildly out of date for a flagship,” adding, “When you have the same specs as an iPhone, you know you’re at least three years behind.” Most Android flagships are using USB-C 3.2, which transfer data 20 times faster than 2.0, Nelson notes.

Next, out comes the naked flame, which is held close to the phone’s 6.6-inch OLED display. A nasty mark appears after about 20 seconds. “The burn mark is permanent, so don’t try this at home,” the YouTuber cautions.

Next up, the bend test. Nelson’s infamous bend test, applied by his own bare hands, has caused some phones to snap in two. But the Nothing Phone 3 is build of solid stuff and shows no flex at all. Nice.

“The Nothing Phone 3 definitely survives my durability test,” Nelson concludes.

Impressively, it also survives the YouTuber’s teardown, which involves removing the back panel to take a closer look at the Nothing Phone 3’s innards. Watch the video (top) to find out more.