It is in fact, a US vs Europe thing. Stateside “SMS” is ubiquitous. I put quotes because it’s not really SMS anymore. It’s either RCS between Android users or iMessage between iPhone users. The only time SMS actually gets used is between Androids and iPhones, because as other commenters in this thread mention. Apple refuses to implement RCS on their devices in a way that is compatible with non-Apple devices.
Yeah “Costs more than you think” no I think it costs about what I expected for a lossless player. DACs are a feature these days.