John -
The first hurdle you will need to cross is dealing with the fact that phones aren't just phones anymore. Instead, they are small computers that do a lot more than allow you to call home. - web surfing, e-mail, gps navigation, and a host of phone-based 'apps' that make life easier. Over time, you will learn to appreciate what those additional features can do for you.
But the fact that they are computers then introduces the really big issue of operating system - there are basically two out there, iOS and Android. iOS is exclusive to Apple products, while Android is used most other popular phones. There are differences between the two systems, but the bottom line is that you can do pretty much anything you want to do in either system, although how you do it might be different. iOS is only available in Apple phones and it tends to be more expensive. On the other hand, iOS functionality tends to be better organized and is internally integrated, while Andoid feels a bit disconnected at times. But whichever way you go, you have to learn how to use the features. I think most people eventually get to the point where they believe (right or wrong) that they operating system they chose is the best - because they know how to use it and the alternative feels uncomfortable.
I have an Apple phone, while my wife has an LG which is Android. I am 'tech support' for both phones, and I really do find Apple to be easier to work with although there are times when bad words are required to fix issues with either phone. Our son who lives at home has a Samsung, and our son who lives on the west coast has a Google Pixel.
Others have pretty much summarized the price landscape. Apple just announced a new version of their SE budget phone - I have had an older SE for more than 5 years and like it very much. However, one drawback is that the battery is rather small, so it has to be recharged more frequently.
Wife's LG seems to be a perfectly OK phone, and it cost a bunch less than my Apple SE. Unfortunately, LG has abandoned the phone market so that may not be an option. Others have mentioned OnePlus - the information I have read suggests that is a good choice in the Android world.
One thing to be aware of - from what I can see, the most common maintenance issue for phones is battery replacement. Battery size tends to correlate with how long you can go between recharging the phone, and more is generally better. However, there is another parameter that is also important - how many times can the battery be recharged before it has tso be replaced. Apple does publish a number for their phones (500 complete cycles from 0 charge to 100%) and there is a way to get the count of recharge cycles at any time. I haven't seen that kind of information on other phones, but then I haven't looked very hard for it either. I prefer plug-in recharging rather than wireless recharging.
By the way, don't let the 5G thing influence your buying decisions - while 5G is becoming available, it still isn't everywhere, and 4G LTE is just as good as the initial rollout of 5G. 5G doesn't add anything to the ability of a phone to serve as a telephone - and it will be some time before implementation of 5G will make much of a difference, and even then the impact will be more in terms of video download speed and the ability to connect multiple devices to the internet. 5G has little or nothing to do with how well you can use a phone to call home.
Final thought - our son with the Google Pixel phone chose that phone because he was going to be traveling extensively outside the US for a few years, and needed a phone that would be convenient to use anywhere in the world. He chose Google not so much for the phone as for the terms associated with using Google as his wireless service provider. If you don't plan to travel extensively, his experience won't apply to you.
But having said that, my experience is that while getting wireless access outside the US is going to be quite expensive if you have an AT&T or Verizon account, there are workarounds that can essentially wipe out that cost. Those workarounds are possible because of the enhanced functionality that comes in smart phones. Most hotels outside the US offer free Wifi, and you can also get free access in any McDonalds. Once you can access Wifi, you can use smart phone apps like Facetime (on iOS only) or Google Duo to make video calls that don't cost anything.
And one more thing - if you currently use a 'flip phone' you may be using it only as a telephone, so switching to a smart phone could trigger an additional charge for data service from Verizon. Check your service contract for details.
