LG is dead, but Sony just released a new phone a few months ago, and Nokia is still here. Nokia is now HMD though, but it's the same folks that were Nokia before the Microsoft buyout. It'd be really cool to see GraphineOS move to other phone models though, I'd like to try it, but I don't want to use Google hardware to do so.

it’s been kind of expected for the last few years that Sony would drop out, because they don’t make many models, but they keep bringing out at least one phone every year or two. They have a really high-end phone that focuses mostly on its camera, though I can’t remember the specific model off the top of my head. Nokia, on the other hand has at least four or five models of phone out as far as android goes, and several flip and candy bar style phones. Not all of them are available in the United States, but several are. For example, I have a Nokia 2780 flip phone that I sometimes use when I’m just tired of being on my smart phone. That’s still a current model although it’s probably due to be replaced very soon. But they also have a number of androids that are on sale in the US. Mostly in the mid range, if you take a peek at target you’ll find them.

they are, but that’s not specifically because Nokia chose that. During the Microsoft takeover of Nokia phones previously a lot of carriers became very soured to Nokia phones. They kind of swore them off because they didn’t want to sell phones that people weren’t interested in buying. And at the time the windows phone, which is what Nokia had basically become was tanking so hard that they weren’t selling anywhere. At this point, most of their phones are just androids. They run a relatively clean version of android OS, and are mostly firmly mid range phones. They’re usually sold at a pretty decent price to compared with things like Samsung. But carriers don’t want to invest in them because they still remember the windows phone days so you’re probably not going to find a Nokia at T-Mobile Verizon or AT&T anytime soon.

kind of, but I think they’re top ends are different. Motorola, I think still makes some fairly high-end phones, gnocchi’s top end is kind of the high end of mid range. They’re not really trying to compete with like the Samsung Galaxy, S2, five or something like that, they want to compete more with the mid range stuff. The one advantage they do have is excellent repairability, if they leaned into that, they might find a market for people who want to keep their phones around. As far as just doing average smartphone stuff, you really don’t need a top and phone anymore for that, a decent mid range will last you for years and years.

yeah I really like the idea of a folding phone, but I don’t think they’re quite there yet for me. When I buy phones, I typically use them for a number of years and all of the flip phones have shown a bit too much fragility for me.
I looked at motor oil was mid range phones for a little while, they’re honestly pretty decent tech. They remind me of the LG Stylo two that I had back when I was still using android. Very decent phones.
They’re attractive for their price and capabilities, but as long as Google has their hands in it, I just can’t go back to android. I was really kind of hoping that the antitrust lawsuit would strip android away from them and put it in the hands of someone better. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen.

That's actually part of the problem, there's Android, iOS, and that's pretty much it. And since the only thing that you can download and just use is Android, that's what every project that wants to make a phone but doesn't want to custom make their own OS from scratch is stuck with.
I'd love to see Linux phone, or even the "bring back the BlackBerry" guys come out with something that isn't iOS or Android. For one because competition drives innovation up and prices down, but also because it would be nice to have a viable alternative to look at.
But it seems like the appetite for anyone to make a new OS to compete with the status quo is very low.

Yeah, I think after seeing a couple attempts at a Linux phone not go anywhere investors didn't want in either.