Thanks for this detailed list it's excellent!

- GPS/navigation (I have yet to get it working, but have only tried once.)

- public transport journey planning (will need to rely on the browser for now most likely, I hven’t seen any transportation apps .. but have not looked)

- ✓ calls & SMS (but not MMS).

- ✓ decent web browser (firefox and now chrome if you like that)

- ✓ calculator

- ✓ notes (lots of different note apps already)

- ✓ time/date (time and date on the lock screen, but alarms are not great yet under some OS)

- ✓ 4G on 2100/1800/850. (works good on tmobile us)

- ✓ decent battery life (will depend on the kernal and OS, but I seen ppl post about 2 1/2 days on one charge)

- ✓ bloatware. (most you can delete anything you want)

- ✓ compliance with the GPL (OS dependant)

- daily driver (too subjective to comment on)


The nice-to-have-but-not-essential features:

- ✓ Physical keyboard (fx pro1 {used maybe], one of the gemini phones)

- ✓ free games (too subjective to comment on, also I don’t really play games. But many emulators already)

- ✓ privacy protections

- future OS support (if it open source then there is a chance of future updates, but never a guarantee of course)

- ✓ hackable (mostly depending on OS)

- ✓ doesn't cost a thousand dollars or taking 6 to receive (the sony phone are a good suggestion, but there seems to be some other Chinese brands that are getting some support for other OS on them)


So if I was you (you didn’t give top budget price) I would grab either a sony phone drop sailfish on it which will also get you an official android layer to use those apps you need, a used fx pro1 must exist, A gemini (too big for me), or a Chinese brand.

You have many options

A lot of your needs will depend on which OS/distro you want to use. In my opion your realistic choices are sailfish, android, ubports, on the Pinephone manjaro or mobian for basic phone needs.

So have you put together a list of potential devices and OSs yet?

Edit:
Looks like they have a few PinePhone Manjaro left for dec delivery

x