There's no conspiracy necessary here. Most people I know upgrade because they lose it, break it, or want the new camera or want a better screen or whatever. Or people who really hold on to their devices upgrade because the OS isn't getting upgraded anymore and apps won't install/update anymore. And then a lot of people who don't need any of those new things just replace the battery.
That's great that you use it as an excuse to get a new phone, but whatever small percentage of people wind up being motivated to upgrade specifically because their battery doesn't hold enough charge, then gets outweighed by people who will buy one phone over another specifically because it's supposed to maintain its capacity for more years. Capitalism at work.
That's great that you use it as an excuse to get a new phone, but whatever small percentage of people wind up being motivated to upgrade specifically because their battery doesn't hold enough charge, then gets outweighed by people who will buy one phone over another specifically because it's supposed to maintain its capacity for more years. Capitalism at work.