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.