They could have been, but they absolutely weren’t.
I had a phone with a easily replaceable battery and it was waterproof. You say these weren’t common though they were. It’s often said that not being able to replace the battery is needed for helping things to be waterproof but that’s really not my experience, nor that of many others.
This claim comes up pretty much every single time. On a Dutch site people often give detailed answers on which phones they had that were waterproof and so on.
That’s not what the plan was though. Last time I checked it would even help those who paid everything off. I’m wondering which news sources you follow to not have noticed that bit.
Also, having policies that make millions of people suffer, what effect might it have on living conditions of everyone? If a few make a bad decision it is on them, if millions made a bad decision it’ll be a problem for society. It could be ignored, but it’ll still effect society.