It was definitely noticeable when coming from a smart phone, but it didn’t really get in the way. And after using it for a little bit you get used to it.
iOS is quite clean, the phone is affordable, has a great chip, and will be supported for many years, certainly longer than any non-Apple phone you buy.
If you want, you can disable _a lot_ of smart features on an iPhone. If you’re paranoid you can lock the re-enabling behind a passcode you give to a trusted person.
My first smartphone (because 3G is being turned off soon) is a Motorola G Power 2021, with the lowest resolution, slowest processor option available (less pixels in the same form factor --> less power consumption, and I'm old so little pixels are too small for me to see anyway) It runs for multiple days on a charge. It will serve as a hotspot, if you want it to.
I'm using Mint Mobile, for $15/month.
I uninstalled Twitter, Facebook, etc. I did install AdBlock browser. I've disabled all notifications except for calls and texts, so that my family can reach me.
I almost never check email, and the same is true on the phone.
I got a Sonim XP3 as an emergency / backup phone. It sits in my go bag, turned off, with an AT&T prepaid plan ($100 / year). I check it every few months and the charge has barely dropped from 100%. It's a bit bulky and expensive, but seemed the best for my use case.
VPN is not a basic security feature. VPN by design is not supposed to provide security. It's marketing. When BlackBerry died, the reins on security issues were taken over by Apple. It can be debatable, but currently there is nothing more sensible.
The person to whom you are responding understand how old phones work and why they are dangerous. You probably left out all the other indicators.
Yes, I use the first-generation iPhone SE, which still gets updates.
Unless you consider the topics of 'privacy' and 'security' to be distinct for semantic correctness, I don't know what you mean. VPN is not supposed to provide security??