My phone is an ereader now

The device in the article is $400 (and obviously requires migrating to a new phone.) Don't get me wrong, it does seem like a decent solution - but for those looking for a lower friction (or lower cost) way to use your phone less, this is my system, which works very well: 1) lock away your phone in a separate box or room away from where you are, 2) make the phone as unappealing as possible (grayscale, disable animations, don't upgrade models, fill up storage so it's very slow), 3) increase friction on the device itself; uninstall any interesting apps and use "one sec" to block stuff in the browser.

With these interventions I went from using my phone for hours a day to using it (most days) only when necessary, and some days not at all. Feels very liberating!

As far as reading goes, I switched back to physical books.

Since these E-Ink phones all suck in specific ways or have uncertain compatibility with US cell carriers I carry 2 devices, my Android smartphone (which I've dumbed down in a similar way to you) and a Boox Palma 2 (which I use for reading articles and books).

I pretty much use my Android in grayscale only for texting/2FA, phone calls, and occasionally email. I entirely disabled the web browser. If a restaurant has QR code menus I don't care anymore, I'll just leave. If I'm "bored" I'll pull out my Palma and get some reading in.