I feel like I had a problem socially starting jr high without a phone at all in late 00s. All your friends communicate/plan/etc over phones so not having one you're missing out on all of that.
Smartphone is debatable, but I feel like 6/7th grade kinda needs a phone of some sort in current society
pinecil can be battery powered too and I've had a good time with mine. granted the battery is either a laptop power bank or a drill battery, but it's still portable enough for me