[jokethrowaway]

I live in the EU and I've avoided carrier locked phone for my entire life.

I know many who can't do math and paid twice the value of the phone for a locked device and some plan they never really used fully.

[jackjeff]

My recollection is that 10-15yrs ago (in FR/DE/UK) it was cheaper to get a phone on a contract than buying it outright and finding a cheaper plan.

That has not been the case for a long time. The last phone I had on contract was an iPhone 4.