The answer ph00lt0 gave you in the thread you opened more than a year ago should still ring true:
There isn’t really an alternative to Google Pixel or iPhone. If you chose not to get this for perhaps understandable reasons and limitations you will have to deal with the consequences of this. I can’t make it any brighter. You can always try to disable or uninstall as much bloatware but it will never get to a similar level [of security and privacy].
Yes, they are. They have been recommended before on this forum.
If you’re still not able to get a Pixel (new or used), the next best thing would honestly be a used iPhone, or an iPhone SE. They typically get updates for even longer than Pixels (~6-7 years) and are also quite secure and private