At the moment GrapheneOS is better for more people. It's secure, reliable and polished. But in the long run the continued development of Linux phones and getting away from the current duopoly is definitely a good thing.

I'm using GrapheneOS now, and will switch to a Linux phone when the basics are nailed down and the price is reasonable.

“Buying Google products” is never a better option.

Maybe, but I think that's a conclusion for an individual to reach rather than a piece of information to help them decide.

Why? It's not like any of them is completely open-source hardware, so why bother?

Pixels have decent hardware and have an open-bootloader. I'm fairly sure your desktop is not better/worse than that either.

I like buying used. I feel better about that. Maybe that is misguided.

Define "better".

With a de-Googled Android device you get lots more apps, but it's still Android.

This is Debian atop an Android kernel, with Android in a container. The native OS is a desktop Linux. You can upgrade your OS with `apt update ; apt-get full-upgrade -y`.

If you want a pocket Linux phone, I think it's about the best.