The Gnome desktop is a pretty good middle ground in my opinion. It is in my opinion even simpler than Windows to use and allows enough customizability with extensions. People in the Linux world love to dunk on it for using slightly more RAM and not having the same amount of customizability as other desktops like KDE Plasma.

Not only that, but requiring internet for installing also isn't optimal for many developing countries. What, you need to bring your PC to an internet cafe to install Windows? I hope Microsoft at least offers physical USB installation drives that don't require internet access.

Jerboa works just fine for me. I'm also on a Fairphone 4, but running CalyxOS with Android 13. Maybe you can try Jerboa from another source like F-droid instead of Google Play or vice versa.