I think ability of locking of bootloader is little over-emphasized at times. Sure they are an integral part of the physical security of your device but it may not be a deal breaker point for those who are looking for a private phone.
Everybody may not be having same level of threat model and may not be so much affected by whether their devices bootloader locks or not.
Since , bootloader locking is available only on certain devices like pixels it really narrows a users choice for a privacy phone.
For now bootloader unlocking would only be an added feature for me which may not affect my decision making.