I severely underestimated how sealed in the smartphone market would become. There are basically 2 options in 2024. Both are evil.
Discussion
If you don’t like Apple, Android OEM’s offer a plethora of options, so I’m not sure what you’re talking about.
Linux is an option if they get decent emulation going or natives apps that are currently missing.
I have been looking into it a bit. I haven't wanted to invest the time because I need a smart phone for like 4 things. Calls, signal, web browser, occasional GPS. I don't usually answer calls anyway :P