If you've increased your budget I'd not be looking further than a Pixel 8 or 9. Pure Android, without all the bloatware that comes with Samsung and the like, and supported fully for another 4+ years.
I've had a Pixel 8 Pro since new (which is rather too large for your requirements) and I'll be keeping it for many years yet.
I'd second that. I have a Pixel 7 and £ for £ it's better than the previous phones I've had, which have been quite a few due to accidental damage. I've had Samsung Galaxy 7 (actually the best phone I had but after 5 years my gf smashed the screen). Then a Motorola flagship 5G which was ok but quite buggy, then a galaxy S10 which would sometimes bug out/crash. I then decided I wasn't going to pay Samsung Galaxy prices when the phones weren't much better or robust than cheaper models. The Pixel 7 has been great if you don't want/need all of the expensive add-ons like optical zoom camera.
You probably won't find any new/old stock 7s now but you may find an 8. I'd absolutely go brand new, unless you can get a reliable 1 year warranty on a used one. All the used ones I've had in the past have had either battery or screen issues which seemed to appear just after the warranty expired.
Edited to add: I would not sacrifice a good phone like the Pixel for something inferior with a small screen, unless you really don't need a smart phone. A new larger screen looks massive at first but after a while it becomes normal
