As someone who remembers what the time before cell phones was like, having a hand held pocket phone is still miraculous. A slightly less aesthetically pleasing phone is not a big deal when it reduces the true ugliness in the production chain.

That said, I'm also trying to decide between a Fairphone or a Linux phone. There are options.

Kind of sad these companies are struggling to stay in business rather than struggling to keep up with demand.

Unfortunately that's not how most consumers think.

As far as phone manufacturing goes, anything that involves electronics will inevitably cause pollution in its life cycle. Even if you're creating the most eco-friendly product, no one will want to use it unless it looks pleasing too. The Pine Phone is that, Virtu is that, but the Fairphone isn't. Even then, Pine Phone and Virtu (maybe not so much) have an uphill battle.