If you buy budget phones, don’t be surprised they stop working soon after the warranty expires. I had a Samsung Galaxy A32 and just a few days after the 1 years mark, the camera lens started to fall out, even when glued back together, the image quality degraded because of exposure to dust and moisture. As to the camera, there is a huge difference between image quality as the phone price goes up. If you get a flagship, the phone camera is just as good as an actual camera. Flagships aren’t really that expensive if you wait a bit for prices to drop. Android phones goes on sale within a few months of release. You can get an Unlocked Google Pixel 7 128GB for $499 in the US, $100 cheaper than the 2 years older iPhone 12. All phones since Google Pixel 6 have minimum 5 years of security updates, same as Apple. Flagships aren’t that expensive if you wait for sales. Using a Pixel 7 for 5 years is better than buying a $100 phone every year.
But more people using stock roms could potentially mean any exploit is more easily found compared to custom roms. Not saying that’s the case, but it’s a factor to consider.