I think there’s a difference between running LND and running something like Mutiny Wallet. I don’t think the average user should be running LND. But something like Zeus or Mutiny for everyone is awesome. My understanding is that both Zeus and Mutiny run a node in their wallet software.
Discussion
Yes they are nodes on your mobile denies and no, not everyone should run one. They are still too complicated and too costly for the average user.
I’ll agree that there are some costs that aren’t always clear with opening the channels. Hopefully these wallets will continue to improve that experience. Federations and ecash might help as well if the user is ok with the trade offs in custody. But I guess that feeds into your argument that they are too complicated if you are having to understand that.