I don't think they meant it like "I have to get the new one for tax reasons", but more like "I get the new one instead of my wife getting the new one, for tax reasons"
Yet if you'd buy normal phones, you'd not be spending a thousand bucks a year but rather something like 4× 300 bucks every 4 years or maybe 4× 500 every 5 years depending on what tier you get (assuming a standard family with 2 parents and 2 kids). Then nobody has hand-me-downs and everyone gets a fun new toy at the same time. You can even pick the model that fits each person's usage best! Some can have a bigger battery, others can have more storage...
Your total expenses are less than half and the average phone age is the same while being adapted to everyone's needs. Each device is about 90% as good as the thousand-buck ones (assuming no one has special requirements, like if you're really into photography then either a camera or a top-of-the-line phone does make sense! Exceptions exist for sure)
Or you tell yourself you can get a discount (omg!) by buying it for business and get yourself a shiny new toy every year :). I know some people that do this indeed
In a family group, at least one person in the hand-me-down chain is going to have a problem with their phone every year, so it makes sense for all the phones to scoot a step down regularly. And yeah, if the person first in line can claim them as a business expense then that’s a good excuse.
Your total expenses are less than half and the average phone age is the same while being adapted to everyone's needs. Each device is about 90% as good as the thousand-buck ones (assuming no one has special requirements, like if you're really into photography then either a camera or a top-of-the-line phone does make sense! Exceptions exist for sure)
Or you tell yourself you can get a discount (omg!) by buying it for business and get yourself a shiny new toy every year :). I know some people that do this indeed