I don't think the key to getting away from your phone is to buy another.
if your friends aren't gonna support your switch, and you therefore need WhatsApp. maybe those people don't care enough.
I had this, when I switched to an old LG L70 and WhatsApp didn't run, so I switched to telegram, and less than a handful of my "friends" even bothered.
Glad to say I cut ties with the rest :).
The issue is that these friends aren't in the same continent as I am. Online chat is the only way we can chat and the rest of the world (unfortunately) use WhatsApp. I have maybe 2 friends who use sms who are in the states.
So... you unilaterally decided to change the method of comms you and your friends had been using, then decided they were bad friends for not falling in line?