Like it or not, Samsung is the premium phone in the Android ecosystem. That is cheapens the experience with bloatware is a real blight on the ecosystem. Your options are either Pixel or Android One. Last I looked, few models are still utilizing the Android One program.
Recent, begrudging convert to iPhone, because Google refused to fix 911 calling.
There is nothing “open” about Android in a practical sense. Most of what makes “Android” Android outside of China is closed sourced Google Play Services and related apps and Google has requirements as far as when a manufacturer is allowed to use the closed proprietary parts.
If you're going to compare with apple then at least use a pixel phone.