I noticed a big jump from pixel 6 to 7 in cost, so the 6 is what I meant. Still very usable in 2024. I don't need all the newest features, just security upgrades. The battery is fine - I use a chargie to keep it between 35 and 85% to prolong the life.

You can pay more for a more modern phone, but if your only criterion is a usable pixel you don't have to spend more than about 200 if that.

Edit: I really appreciate your recommendations though -- I may try one of those out when I need to upgrade.

For me it is a matter of trust. What does it matter if you're getting security updates faster than everyone else if you're getting them Solar Winds? In other words, if you don't need security against nation-state actors, the highest threat is Google / Apple themselves.

Not really true imo. A lot of stuff is automatic. In kubuntu now, most of my apps from last session starts back up when I turn the computer on. Steam, rhythmbox, nextcloud client like I was saying, and all kinds of stuff start automatically as desktop apps. Panel applets are basically auto start apps.

One thing Linux doesn't really do though is autostart stuff you don't want.