that's not how it should be, that's how it is. The only way cheaper devices are so cheap is by cutting all the corners they can, and turns out one of the corners people don't care to be cut is their privacy and security
locking bootloader is a way to prevent you from undercutting their spyware.
if there is a spyware, than it is a part of their business model, and every user that got away is a drop in revenue. But their targeted users don't mind to be spied on.
How in the world is this a premium feature? It's a piece of software that can be written once (and only once), with the cost amortized between all OEMs.