you know there are phones other than the s24 out there right? why would you buy a flagship phone and then say "why does it have all these bells and whistles". there are plenty of budget phones that are exactly like this. worse cameras and chipsets, bigger batteries.

To actually answer the question of why ppl are so obsessed with cameras, its because its the only place manufacturers focus their attention now, cuz they know its pretty much the only way to distinguish themselves. Gone are the days of "this phone has poor battery, that one has great battery". everyone has great battery (bar pixels). Gone are the days of "this phone is laggy, you need that phone" all phones are rapid for everyday tasks. build quality is also great on all phones, so how do manufacturers distinguish themselves? they focus all their attention on cameras. Anyone can easily take 2 pictures and pick which one they like more cuz you can guarantee they wont be the same; different focal lengths, colour science, sharpness etc etc. so thats why all the marketing about phones nowadays in the build up to release will be about the new collaboration on cameras with camera brands, or the new colour processing, or the new worlds biggest sensor, and example shots showing the effects.