Phones have overall gotten amazing and even cheap addons like clip-on “macro” lenses can open an incredible world of possibilities using something people already have. It can be finnicky, sure, but most days on my (admittedly old) DSLR I miss the wide depth of field, fair amount of light and useful minimum focal distance that a 10€ lens on a 100€ phone gave me.
That said, you have to learn to use your phone properly, go seek out the right tools (including software with manual focus) and while they can be absolutely amazing up close, most of the phones I’ve owned or used have an absolutely pitiful zoom (higher end phones can do much better, but if I have 1500€+ to spend, I’d rather it be on photo gear than a phone).
Another huge point against them is the amount of retouching and cheats most phones do automatically, which can 100% ruin a photo (again, mitigated with knowledge, with the right settings/app you can get rid of that). Also, increasingly with AI development, you’ll have to make sure that the phone is actually taking a picture of what you see, not “correcting” it like Samsung’s somewhat infamous “moon mode”.
Overall, phones are a fantastic tool to lower the barrier to entry but like all tools, you have to learn to use it and laziness can foster bad habits.