The original Motorola Defy had it right when released, micro sc slot, decent camera for the time, rugged case you could literally unscrew with an allen wrench to fix the phone, removable battery, a size that actually fit in your pocket, sub $300 price iirc, and it was ip67 rated.

Don't tell me we CAN'T make that phone, Motorola did it in a cave in the 2010s with a bunch of scraps!

I think that some Oppo's have removable batteries, and I know EU law comes into effect in 2027 where all phones sold in the region, have to have removable batteries, also the batteries have to be accessible for years after the product leaves the market.

I don't think the X9 has a removable battery, and while it is easy to remove, you couldn't just swap it out for another, which is a pity, even though it has a large capacity.

Which is crazy, because if they want their phones to be professional photographers everyday camera, then they should act like photographers cameras.

As for SD cards, you can buy USB sticks that you can plug into your phone and transfer the photos that way, Or the same type of sticks with card readers.

Not the best options, but seemingly the only options for now.

Or an alternative option is Immich. Self host it and supply your own storage. But still requires network access to transfer, so if you're somewhere remote, not a great option.