Now here we do the magic:
Creating a time-tested intelligent (not AI-driven) software to make sure that the phone helps you to achieve your goals and not become a hindrance—ranging from WORK MODE, DUMBPHONE MODE to default content safety filters, it would have everything one can have to do "deep work".
Suggestions welcome.
Sounds like a great app/alternative OS though, maybe explore that. Hardware is hard anyways and people want more than just enough CPU and display - camera, for example.
* The ones that want their phone to be a more portable laptop get a flagship.
* The ones that through clumsiness or hard work destroy their phones want rugged ones.
* The ones that travel a lot want their phones to last.
* The ones who play music on the subway want the speakers to be loud so you can also hear it.
* The ones that don't want distractions get a dumbphone.
...
If you have several needs then you try to maximise in all the directions that you need. And this is why not everyone needs the same phone.
Work, what is work? Answering emails/messages from clients? Going into pages to enter some shipment data? Trying apps while being tied to a desk? Having it for emergencies while breaking rocks with a sledgehammer? Taking pictures for insurance claims? All of these have different needs.
Choose a target, one that is well defined, then sell them the phone. Otherwise people who are not the target will not like the phone, and people that are the target might not know that they are.