5 vs Phone (3a) Pro

Phone 1

Phone 2

Winner

Nothing Phone (3a) Pro

The Phone (3a) Pro wins this one, taking display and battery decisively. Against the 5 it's also the sounder buy at $7.59 per month of safe use.

Value Score: 5 57 · Phone (3a) Pro 71 — methodology

The lifespan decider

When specs are close, support length decides it — this is what each phone costs per month of safe use.

Fairphone 5 $600

Safe to buy$9.54/mo

2023◆ Buy-by Sep 20292031

Nothing Phone (3a) Pro $429

Safe to buy$7.59/mo

2025◆ Buy-by Mar 20292031

Category by category

Display

5 50Phone (3a) Pro 80

The Phone (3a) Pro's screen is the better one — 6.77-inch amoled, 1080×2392 (fhd+), up to 120hz, 3000 nits peak.

Performance

5 55Phone (3a) Pro 64

The Phone (3a) Pro's Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 is simply the faster chip.

Camera

5 67Phone (3a) Pro 79

The Phone (3a) Pro has the stronger camera system (3 real rear lenses vs 2).

Battery

5 64Phone (3a) Pro 80

5,000mAh vs 4,200mAh — the Phone (3a) Pro lasts longer between charges.

Software longevity

5 75Phone (3a) Pro 67

The 5 is supported until Sep 2031 — 6 months longer than the Phone (3a) Pro.

Value

5 57Phone (3a) Pro 71

Overall value goes to the Phone (3a) Pro at $7.59 per month of safe use.

Full spec table

Spec	5	Phone (3a) Pro
Price (street)	$600	$429
Display	6.46-inch OLED, FHD+, 90Hz, Gorilla Glass 5	6.77-inch AMOLED, 1080×2392 (FHD+), up to 120Hz, 3000 nits peak
Chipset	Qualcomm QCM6490 (6nm)	Snapdragon 7s Gen 3
RAM	8GB	12GB
Storage	256GB	256GB
Battery	4,200 mAh	5,000 mAh
Charging	30W wired; user-removable battery	50W wired, no wireless
Rear cameras	50MP main, 50MP ultra-wide	50MP main, 50MP periscope telephoto 3x, 8MP ultra-wide
Dimensions	161.6 × 75.8 × 9.6 mm	163.52 × 77.50 × 8.39 mm
Weight	212 g	211 g
Water resistance	IP55 (also MIL-STD-810H)	IP64
Supported until	Sep 2031	Mar 2031

5 full verdict →Phone (3a) Pro full verdict →Longevity master board →

Scores and verdicts are computed from our verified database — see exactly how. Specs from manufacturer documentation; prices reflect major US retailers.