FWIW (for the US American market), Nokia* are still making such phones. And there's Doro phones. For seniors, but some of the models look fairly normal.
But be aware: under the hood they can be running a full Android or similar OS with all the trappings.
* just the brand name nowadays, it's not actually the same company anymore
thanks for the heads up! I definitely want the option to swap the OS
Um, I don't think that's (easily) possible on such devices.
so I'm learning... probably gonna opt for a Pixel then
Yeah, I say run GrapheneOS for the best security on android on a pixel. The next best if you want an older device is to run DeGoogled LineageOS, I use a Pixel 4a 5G and it runs superb and it's easier to repair. It also doesn't have the extra BS most phones have now these days. Although I do use a few more apps, defaults should suffice. (Except for messaging use Molly a android fork of Signal or XMPP)
I've been using a fairphone 4 with lineage for a bit now and have had minimal issues. It's basically android if google got out of the way. I fully understand if you want something lower tech than that though