"Only needs phone ~5 times a moth" that is still 60 times in a year. For me the whole "argument" (or whatever) fell apart there. I can accept the "one ruined meeting in three years", but if you need something weekly (or more than once a week) you are not "living without it".

He could easily achieve the same exact result by not installing social apps, disabled browser and just having Uber and actual calling functionality and you could still call forward every incoming call to landline so the mobile wouldn't even ring.