About Android and Google apps:
The google apps are what (contractually) allow the use of the Android name.
They are an integral part of the Android OS, as ANDROID™.
A manufacturer can remove them and stick to the open fork of the OS (like Amazon and others do) but tbey can't call the OS Android.
At the user level you can uninstall *upgrades* and revert to the factory-installed version but it will still be there.
Google is *doing* with Chrome (and Gmail, Play, etc) what Microsoft *wanted* to do with Internet Explorer that got them dragged into court. I wonder what (if anything) the 50 AGs will do about that...
(I'm betting "nothing".)
As to the price of the eInk minimalist phone, the non-minimalist price is unavoidable. eInk screens are more expensive than LCD. So are reflective LCDs. It's because of the size (as in, not ereader) and the volume. Which is why even non-minimalist low-end Android phones cost way less than the Light Phone.
For those interested in a cheap LIGHT Phone, a better solution might be a minimalist/essentialist replacement Launcher.
Of note, there is this...
https://m.apkpure.com/indistractable...uncher.android
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...droid&hl=en_US
...inspired by tbe LIGHT phone.
A search for minimalist Launchers brings in dozens of candidates, some more minimalist than others.
This one is pretty basic:
https://lessdroid.com
And even open source, for those where that matters.
I favor the Microsoft launcher in minimal config.
It hides everything except phone, messaging, browser, and the apps button. And even those can be removed.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...launcher&hl=en
Really good if you're setting up a phone for a parent.