i took all the advice here and elsewhere and sat on it avoiding a decision for two weeks
and then I went to best buy and bought a galaxy A36
haven't turned it on or swapped anything yet, first thing I did just now was immediately put on a screen protector and I did it absolutely meticulously, but in the 2.5 seconds the adhesive side of the protector was exposed to the elements I can only assume a single airborne cat hair made contact, because the screen was pristine but now there's a little white hair eternally trapped between the screen and screen protector, right in the fuckin center of the screen