Not the person to whom you're responding, but for me, some of the heavy hitters:

- Real-time weather alerts (I spend a lot of time in a naked Jeep in the summer, it's helpful to know when rain is imminent)

- Work-related authentication

- Audiobooks

- High quality, always available camera with quick editing and instant sharing capabilities

- GPS tracking when I'm exploring

- Find restaurants, museums, hotels when I'm traveling

- Pay for nearly anything (credit cards are useful but more time-consuming, and pulling them out frequently is a minor friction point that I'm grateful to leave behind)

Although I do agree with some that you listed, I think that many do have alternatives:

- Audiobooks can be listened on other devices besides smartphones

- A dedicated camera is a very good option for taking high-quality photos fast, but I do agree that instant sharing is not a possibility

- GPS tracking is available on many watches, even non-Smartwatches like the ones Garmin designs

- You can pay with a credit / debit card via NFC - just as fast as with a smartphone

- You can find restaurants and other places through maps, tourism centers, etc. Or there's a option for researching where to go before heading out

none of these are required, aside from the work example.

You just find a phone useful

Required would be “I can’t participate in society without a phone”, eg not being able to get healthcare or pay for things w/o a phone