In the country I’m in at the moment I contacted my network provider and they sent me an email with a QR code. I pointed my iPhone camera at my laptop and that was pretty much it. eSIM was back up and running.

I know it’s not exactly what you asked but I tether from an iPhone (12 mini) to a (Linux mint) laptop. Lightning to usb. The thing is it only works with Apple or Anker cables - I’ve tried with cheaper unbranded cables and they only allow me to charge the handset. No data capabilities.

Same here - I’ve got a three year old Anker cable that has multiple daily uses. They’re also the only non-apple cable that I can use with my laptops that give me full functionality.

Backed-up on iCloud?

Had a power cut a few months ago and used my iPhone (12 mini) flashlight almost two hours. Haven’t noticed any problems since… flash and flashlight both seem to work exactly as before.