I am using a Pixel 6a with grapheneos for around $260 (used). Similarly it does everything I need it to do, so not planning to change soon. For AI stuff I was thinking the same way you do until this year. I think you just didn't have a good use case for you yet. Now I use it to help me solve math problems for me when I am stuck, to help me do some cumbersome programming tasks (like automatically control the browser with Selenium). Now I even create music I like. AI revealed the artist in me hahaha. But I agree many use cases of AI feel contrived, so people ride the wave to go with the trend. Coming back to your discussion, in my case I never was a big consumer in the first place, always just doing sports, going outside, so I never went to shopping malls frequently before. Although now with Bitcoin I have a strong reason not to go there!