The way that mobile phones are being sold today by service providers doesn't seem to have changed much from the distant past. Here's my recent experience.

I purchased a new smartphone from my current mobile operator -- via one of their local retail stores. The salesperson was very focused on the handset feature comparison -- he had lots to say about what he liked about the phones on display. When I asked about the application software, like a SIP phone app, he had little to offer in the way of insights.

When it became clear to him that I already knew the phone that I wanted to buy, he quickly showed me (unsolicited) a bunch of protective cases for the phone. I declined them all, so he moved to the cash register to close the sale.
Everything I've learned about the device I discovered online, by myself.