I'm firmly in the mid-range segment of the market, and made some good and some not so good choices over the years (including a Nokia with Android One for my mom, which was not a good choice because of the many hardware issues). The A52 I currently use has been hands down the best one, closely followed by a Pixel 4A for my wife. I don't love the whole One UI thing, and would prefer Android One or whatever the stock Android is called these days, but it's just a polished product, in terms of hardware, software and security updates.
I dont know if the pixel he was referencing is new or refurbished but I'd keep an eye on Swappa/BackMarket, if you're in the EU and looking to buy a used relatively new phone for a cheap price.
I would also appreciate an answer to the same question FirmwareBurner has asked.