Yeah, because even cheap smart phones are often expensive and difficult to repair. My current phone is an s10 ive had since 2020 and even today it would cost me £50 to replace the screen myself.

I refuse to treat my phone as disposable so when i very rarely buy a new phone, ill buy one that i could repair myself and with internals that will last a long time.

Budget phones are usually out for me because they usually become annoyingly slow after only a few years which means i usually end up spending more for a mid range which means repairs cost more if i need them. Therefore putting a decent case on it makes sense.