I really don't want to spend more than 500€ on a "new" phone so buying a local used iphone 11 for ~420€ and replacing the battery in a few months for another 80€ seems like an enticing option to get a few years worth of life out of my next phone. Is there something I'm missing?
My last iphone was an SE phone, so these devices can last a good bit. If you think of it as an investment and treat it well, they can last past a few iphone generations, so it's a better deal than buying an old phone. I definitely don't regret moving from the SE to the mini, if that helps, and am very happy with my current phone.
Now I watch in disbelief as phones just get larger and heavier year by year.
My current phone is an iPhone 5S. It's about the largest and heaviest that I would want to have.
The only other Android manufacturer I would still consider is Samsung. Ironically, Samsung doesn't have GrapheneOS or similar to protect you from google apps like a genuine google phone.
I simply don't believe any of the other manufacturers when they claim they will make updates, most of them have failed to deliver for me at least once.