pal,
I agree with much of what you say. Camera phones continue to improve and narrow the gap. Apple's engineers are doing amazing things with that tiny sensor. At the suggestion of one of the posters here, I checked out Upland Journal, and one of the shots I was sure came from "real" camera was actually shot on an iPhoneX!
I often say, the best camera is the one you have on you when you want to take a shot. Upland Journal reminded me of that. Many photo's were not photographically great...but were of things that brought a smile to my face because it captured the moment. Camera phones fill that need very often.
