It’s not hard to get rid of an iPhone at all. I could sell the device in my hand easily if I wanted to.
What are you even talking about? Cost cutting makes them support a phone longer? Supporting a phone longer costs them more money. Literally the antithesis of your claim.
There were 0 product recalls. You may be thinking of Samsung who recalled the Note 7 for exploding. The iPhone 4 antenna design flaw was known inside the retail return window and anyone could have returned it for a full refund. They otherwise offered a free case to everyone who elected to keep the phone (myself included). The first line of Samsung Galaxy GSM phones had a similar flaw if you cupped the bottom rear of the phone; the Vibrant model on T-mobile had an “ass” that stuck out that was easier to cause total network drop on then my iPhone 4 on AT&T, but Samsung did not offer a free case or mitigation.