Paired with the Pixel 4a "update of death" it feels like Google is throwing in the towel on smartphones

Yeah, but their hand may be forced:

https://www.theverge.com/2024/12/21/24326402/google-search-a...:

The Department of Justice’s list of solutions for fixing Google’s illegal antitrust behavior and restoring competition in the search engine market started with ... breaking off Chrome, Android, or Google Play as the DOJ’s filing considers