I've been curious about buying a new phone lately. I hesitate to do so because the phones are so expensive and I really don't use the phone that much. However, we all have to use the phone once in awhile and they can be convenient. It's not the kind of purchase that you definitely notice unless you're a huge phone person though.
I mean, if you buy a new TV or if you buy a new car or something like that... you can say "wow I'm noticing this all the time" as opposed to a phone in which you might not notice it as much unless you are a huge phone person. It could end up being a big expense that you don't need to use very often.
Having said that, you don't want to get a crappy phone either.
Yesterday I read on the news that Samsung was going to be updating their new phones for four years of not just security updates… but also actual Android updates which will increase the lifespan by about an extra year. That extra year could make the price of purchase worth it. I like that.
I have a few friends that have the inexpensive Samsung A series and I've heard no major complaints. https://www.samsung.com/us/smartphones/galaxy-a-series/ I've seen some reviews and these are usually named the best of the inexpensive phones. I think they are just doing 3 years of updates but not sure.
Good luck finding the right phone for you!