If you want to use a smartphone, you basically get to decide who you trust more with the device that holds a lot of your digital life: Apple or Google. I know how Apple makes its money, and I know how Google makes its money. This makes the decision very, very easy.
Your argument basically is "yeah, I know one of these companies is already actively exploiting my data for profit and the other isn't, but hypothetically they might some day in the future so that means they're indistinguishable from each other today". Which makes it close to impossible to treat you as arguing honestly and in good faith.
I use neither of those and host my own services, but I know I'm a control freak on that.
My point is that an object that you don't control can't be trusted for privacy, that's all. Both iphones and stock android phone fits in this category, you don't control any of those.
Edit :
If Apple change it's business model and decide to use the data gathered, what do you do?
It's exactly the problem of privacy, having control of the data you consider private. Controlling data over time is a really important part.
Apple probably made like $500 selling me an iPhone X. If they sell my data, I won't buy another one. I guess I'm stuck trusting capitalism in that I think Apple would rather keep making $500 every couple years than $50 once.
If you want to use a smartphone, you basically get to decide who you trust more with the device that holds a lot of your digital life: Apple or Google. I know how Apple makes its money, and I know how Google makes its money. This makes the decision very, very easy.
Your argument basically is "yeah, I know one of these companies is already actively exploiting my data for profit and the other isn't, but hypothetically they might some day in the future so that means they're indistinguishable from each other today". Which makes it close to impossible to treat you as arguing honestly and in good faith.