Could not add google account > did factory reset > can not get through initial setup

Hi guys,

All was well except when I tried to add a google account this happened
screen 1
Just a sec...
screen 2
Add your account
google
sing in to get the most out of your device. i
Enter your email [I enter my email and have tried others for testing]
screen 3
Error sorry there seems to be a problem. Please try again.

For troubleshooting I tried

Disabled 2FA on google account
Removed account from other device
rest app settings
sign in via multiple apps, contacts, playstore, youtube, add accounts et cetera
Enabled Backup my data and automatic restore
Connected via VPN
Update system software

Nothing worked so I did a factory reset. Now the part of the initial setup that is supposed to add a google account gets stuck on

"Couldn't sign in
Can’t establish a reliable connection to the server"

But I really mean stuck, there are no buttons on the screen, no possibility to slide down the task bar or go to home screen because this is happening as part of the initial setup steps. Volume and power buttons work so I can turn it off and turn it on again after which it enters the initial setup and the same thing happenes again as there is no option to skip this step or skip set up as a whole.

There are quite a few google results for

"Couldn't sign in
Can’t establish a reliable connection to the server"

But they all involve interacting with options and settings which I can not do. How can I boot the phone without it launching the initial setup process?

Phone is E2363, the 16G dual sim version. Thanks if you can help