Yea...there's a spectrum, as with most things. Arguably having a dummy cell phone is less likely to draw as much scrutiny than showing up without one. 'I don't have a cell phone' said nobody under the age of 70 honestly. But anything you have at the border is a lot more out in the open than anywhere else you have it. And data goes over borders without needing to be subject to this state of affairs, if only you avoid physically bringing it with you.

I don't have a cell phone ... and I'm nowhere near 70. Got rid of it almost a year ago. Use one at home as a tablet, but I don't carry it with me.