Don't misunderstand -- I loved the phone. But in my area, with my service, it struggled. Many people don't have this problem. I find it's a bit choosy.
I'm not sure I can make a confident recommendation without more information about what you value. There are many respectable options, and Pixel is generally one of the best.
The combination of clean UI with long promised updates seems like a winning combination. I don't really play games on my phone. I just want it to go through the basic tasks quickly (photos, voice dictation, app switching etc, I currently have a OnePlus 7 Pro and it has kept up admirably - but being stuck in android 12 with some quirky behaviour is a bit annoying).
So I guess I'm not looking for a powerhouse - but I do want something that does the basic stuff right - however if it doesn't bring table stakes (ie if modem or voice quality or other connectivity is subpar) then the rest is not important.
I’m a fan of the OP 7 Pro. It’s a bit long in the tooth, but it’s performed well mainly because it was generous with memory when I first came out. Also a good CPU generation. The ROM scene could be better.
Paradoxically, I think it’s still the Pixel as my favorite, but it would be nice to get an opinion first from someone who uses your cellular provider. I hate having to preface it because I love the vanilla Android experience. I’m trying to resist making sweeping generalizations based on my one data point. It’s technically possible that I had a hardware problem.