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I use fingerprint scanning with a fairly simple pattern as the backup (I think patterns are quicker/easier to do correctly quickly than a PIN).
As far as what phone to get, this is what I think: Spending $600+ is pretty ridiculous and more than most people should really be spending on a phone. Either get a new unlocked flagship phone from a couple years ago for $200-300 or spend $150-200 on a current low-mid end phone like the Moto g-series. That gets you a good chunk of the latest features, enough performance that a system update won't bring it to a crawl, a reasonable chance of getting said updates (particularly security) for the next few years, and a new phone with a new battery. Refurbished isn't a bad option for getting an older high end phone, but I would try to make sure the battery was replaced as part of the refurbishment or factor that in.
If you try to go with something used that's 3+ years old, you'll probably end up spending $20-50 to replace the battery, performance will be lacking for all but the most basic of tasks, and you'll likely be looking for another phone far sooner than if you started with something newer. There are some exceptions, like very high end phones, but unfortunately there's a good amount of planned obsolescence built into phones.
I have a Moto x4 that I bought unlocked from Best Buy for $150 at the beginning of this year. It was a higher end phone when it came out in 2017 and had some features I didn't want to be without for the next few years (water resistance and USB-C for example) vs the current Moto g (I believe it was the g6 and the g7 was released a few months later) model that was about the same price.
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