In most of my engineering jobs, we’ve had an allowance for office supplies, especially ergonomic improvements. I’ve seen people spend it on keyboards (usually an ergodox!) and mice, monitor arms, even entirely new standing desks. I also believe that some places have legal requirements for employers to provide ergonomic equipment to employees if requested. Maybe you could inquire about something like that?

But also, I’m 100% on team work from home. I don’t plan to ever go back to the office.

Yeah, they definitely can be pricey. I usually watch FB Marketplace for a while before finding a decent deal. How much I’m willing to spend is really subjective to how much income I have at that moment and how new the phone is. My last couple of phones were from folks who received it as a work phone and then kept it after they were upgraded. The Pixel a# (ex. a6, a7) series is also a little cheaper, and usually the specs are still comparable.

You have some gorgeous colours in there! Did you lose many to the rain?

Like the comment you linked to, I only know people who have installed GrapheneOS onto a Pixel phone, and they’ve been pretty happy with that. It would be great to see a flagship phone that isn’t greenwashed, but for now I also settle for buying used phones exclusively. Usually one model behind or at least 6 months post-release, which has worked really well for me with the Pixel line, at least in my area. When I’m done with them I give them to family or resell them, trying to stretch out the e-waste cost as much as possible.