My point really is just that as a matter of reality there are plenty of people who don't expect these features out of even smartphones, let alone non-smart phones. Unlike things such as "loading a page with JS/CSS", "playing video" or "having a camera" which I doubt you'd find anyone disagreeing are basic features of smartphones.

There's also nothing inherently preventing these features from being implemented in a basic phone like in the article, technologically speaking. The features aren't supported because the market to support them is too small or nonexistent.

As one point of reference: Because NFC support is spotty on phones, subway systems in many Chinese cities allow scanning a QR code to pay fares by phone. There's no reason this could not be implemented as an app on this "feature" phone. It's not there because the places this phone is sold don't have a market for this feature.

Authoritarian rule doesnt persist via tanks and stormtroopers knocking on your door, it persist by leveraging minor daily convenience, necessities, which mold compliance. Social credit system.

If you cant take the bus to work, if you are denied healthcare because of xyz, if you are denied access to credit, or the grocery store, etc.in a cashless economy.. then most people are controlled without any violence.

This is one of the main reasons many are against an increase of centrally managed services such as universal state healthcare, ubi, etc.. because once they control exclusively a necessity in your life, they can leverage it to ram anything they want or deny you sevices. Freedom lies in choice.