Literally the same argument could be made for easy user replaceable batteries.
A vanishingly small fraction of users take advantage of replacing their battery and instead just pass it along either in trade in, or in passing down to a family member/friend. This wasn’t any different when batteries were easily user replaceable.
You’re optimizing for an event that happens every few years instead of optimizing for something that is felt every single day (form factor, ergonomics, etc).
What do you think is much more common, people swimming deep with (or drowning, or otherwise submerging - deep enough so higher ratings start to matter aka not just phone falling in a sink) their phones, or people looking to replace a battery after it naturally degrades?
I've swam with my phone exactly zero times. Haven't dropped it in any deep water. But I have a bunch of devices with batteries barely holding any charge. And I suspect it's the most common situation.
A vanishingly small fraction of users take advantage of replacing their battery and instead just pass it along either in trade in, or in passing down to a family member/friend. This wasn’t any different when batteries were easily user replaceable.
You’re optimizing for an event that happens every few years instead of optimizing for something that is felt every single day (form factor, ergonomics, etc).