Just the other idea, I tried transferring a large number of photos from phone to PC with a cable, just to see how bad it would be without a card. It was so slow I eventually gave up (not to mention the timestamps were messed up). I have no idea how anyone manages this way.

Yeah, about that…

However, it also means that a quite range of phones will not support emergency calling via VoLTE, since it not only requires a 4G/5G capability, but also requires a separate protocol needed to make the emergency calling available without a SIM card, I suppose?

So, the final result is, the telecommunications department of Australia forces customers to switch phones, and I just don’t want to switch. I am currently using two phones, one is an iPhone which is fine, another one is a Xiaomi phone purchased from China, which will be banned and I am very satisfied with it.

The final result is, I purchased a budget 5G phone as a hotspot device and use it with my Xiaomi phone. With that said, I still feel frustrated. I contacted two carriers and both of them said “oh we can do nothing”, although the shutdown notice email said “we will find you a solution”. According to my friend, it is “we kindly ask patients to avoid passing away in the hallways.”

I'd recommend looking into a camera such as a Ricoh GR series. Yes, it is an additional cost, so it doesn't solve the 'expense' part of the equation, but you'd get significantly better photos from it than any phone camera, plus it's very compact so wouldn't need to lug around much at all in terms of equipment.

Or something like a Fujifilm XM5 with a pancake lens - this will give you a compact setup, with the flexibility of using different lenses if you wished.

Instead of trying to shop locally from such a small pool of devices I'd advise the OP to pick a protective case and a screen protector since they seem to hang on to their devices for a long time. A device like the Pixel 9a or the upcoming 10a with their oversized battery for the specs is likely to deliver many years of service before degrading to the point of being unusable.

I had a OnePlus 3T and really didn't want to let it go (particularly because it DOES support VoLTE!) but ultimately got a Pixel 4 and have been using it since.

I really liked it. The larger screen is more productive, and the improved cameras on the larger phones are worth it for me. I take more and better photos of my kids.

Sometimes it’s worth trying the thing you don’t think you want - you might be surprised.