[mzltest]

Thanks for the headsup @mzltest.  So perhaps then when I thought I removed Facebook, I only removed the link.  Maybe it's still on my phone somewhere but at least there are tools on Android where one can push the apps out of the way.  At least I have enough space on my phone so don't have issues with the space the apps are taking up.

It's irritating though, but also a good lesson, in that when one purchases a phone, one should pay attention and ask questions about the apps that come with the phone, and the disk space it's occupying.  That should be one of the guidelines for how much disk space one wants with the phone, and not only one's one use.

3rd-party apps like facebook can be uninstalled and you can safely think this is a complete removal - There isn't too much benefit for them to hide these apps.
For some apps that are provided by your phone manufacturer ,the best(without losing warranty) thing you can do is to disable and/or uninstall updates.

Anyway,the original Android is the best choice if you want a totally-clean phone.Other OSs/UIs always include extended functions and you can not easily remove them.

If you are more focused on storage space these unremovable apps don't affect you much.But if you are really serious about your privacy then use original Android or iOS.