I’ve got a framework 13. It’s not better than a Macbook except in terms of user-serviceability.
That said, I do really like the laptop. I just find myself reaching for my macbook especially due to the issue with battery life.
I’d say $400 (minus whatever subsidies from your carrier) is the minimum I’d spend on a new smartphone. Could also get an iPhone 12 or something for a bit more.
Point is, iPhones are more affordable than people claim they are, especially in the US. Can’t speak for other places where they might be marked up or have high import tax.
Anti-theft, which is a dual-edged sword.
Activation lock prevents the device from functioning without the consent of the owner, but if the owner is locked out of their iCloud account, the device is a brick.
Serializing components has the side effect of preventing activation locked devices from being harvested for parts. Unfortunately, this also means that perfectly working parts cannot be used to repair other iPhones.
It’s very hard to walk that fine line between anti-theft and repair. The way Apple is doing it definitely seems to be with an anti-third-party-repair goal, though.
I personally think activation lock is fine, but serializing components is not.
Companies are slowly moving in that direction, except doing it worse in most cases (i.e. cheaply)