So you're now fully bound to your ISP

Do you think you can only use an eSIM on a locked phone? Physical SIM or not, a carrier locked phone is a locked phone. You can use eSIMs on unlocked phones just fine

their proprietary shit app, and their servers providing you a new SIM instead of just swapping a physical piece of hardware in seconds

The difference is you don't have to physically go someplace to get a card or have one shipped to you. You just need the Internet and an app.

You're complaining about semantics with no real difference, just convenience 99% of the time.