Followup 9/27/2021
After extended daily usage since March 2021, especially on two trips, I thought I'd post a followup.
The more I use the /e/ phone the more I like it. I say this with one proviso, I switched the default browser to Vivaldi for Android which synchs to my laptop for bookmarks etc. so I can get away with installing the minimum apps possible, because most of the spyware is in the commercial Android apps. Adding Vivaldi for Android lets me use the Web as a replacement for things like the Twitter app. It's nice having a powerful browser on a smartphone.
I do like /e/'s approach to privacy. The OS is de-googled Android and the default app store from /e/ gives you /e/'s privacy rating on the apps you install. This leaves app privacy as your responsibility. If you want to install an app that spies on you then you can, but you have been warned. For example, I have the Wunderground weather app installed for convenience but I know it's reporting on me. You are also free to install other Android app stores to widen the choices, but buyer beware.
Related to this: I do like access to Android apps. For me using de-googled Android is a good compromise between having privacy against commercial spying and still having access to tens of thousands of Android apps, rather than only having a hundred apps like most Linux OS phones currently available. /e/ OS isn't trying to keep the NSA and FBI out, it's just intended to help you keep Google, FB, Twitter and MS and other commercial bad actors from knowing too much about you.
Hardware wise, In the US /e/ only has one, new, midrange phone available. The UK gets a much wider range of choices.
Anyway, I'm pretty happy with the /e/ phone OS as a daily driver and I don't intend to go back to iPhone or Google's Android.