I don’t know man. Just checked a used Motorola RAZR from last year and it costs 600$, which is on par with the pixel price reduction. And I think the RAZR is one of the models that will have GOS

I’m a bit confused with your own words

People who are security-minded for the most part just want a device to handle daily tasks, etc. Not all the bells whistles of an expensive high-end phone.

Buying a used and old Pixel (as old as 7) will be an option for many years since GOS will continue to support.

My confusion is that you argue against flagship phone (and we’ll have to see how true the assumption is on cost and if it will even be flagship) while also saying that people won’t buy it anyways because they prefer the cheaper older used phones.

Edit: I do want to add, I’m not sure why people assume it will be only on a flagship model. Most forums mention that GOS would be applicable to 3 models: the Signature, Razr Fold and Razr Ultra models (all with varying costs and some comparable to the newest Pixel).

How would money be involved?

It’s not like GOS is in a position to force device manufacturers to open the bootloader and have strengthened hardware, let alone make phone prices accessible. The best they can do is kindly ask a manufacturer to do so and hope that they agree (which Motorola have technology-wise).

And if it’s a money issue for people, then buying the newest pixel phone is still not cheap (~1k+). And most privacy advocates recommend buying the phone used and with cash so it’s not associated with your bank details.