Why can't I delete synced photos from my iPhone?

Early iPhones did not have especially good cameras, so this was not an issue. However, starting with the iPhone 4s, it became clear that iPhones would begin to replace standard point-and-shoot cameras. Space would soon become a problem. You could be on a trip and begin to run out of space and find that any photos you had synced using iTunes (before your trip) could not be deleted. Even if you had an iPad with more storage, you could not delete those older synced photos. Apparently, you were supposed to have brought your Mac or PC on the trip, just so that you could use iTunes To delete synced photos.
I don't understand Apple's rationale for this limitation.
As of this writing, Apple does not provide a tablet that runs iTunes. So it would seem that the only solution is to buy a PC tablet such as Microsoft surface tablet. Only then would you have a full fully portable tablet that would allow you to run the iTunes program to delete old synced photos and make more room on your iPhone.
Of course you can use airdrop to transfer photos from the iPhone camera roll to an iPad and then delete them from your iPhone, but why would you want to get rid of the newer photos on your iPhone rather than the old ones that had been synced before your trip?
SInce Apple does not offer a tablet that runs OS X (and therefore is iTunes capable), this policy would seem to be in advertisement for Microsoft.
Am I missing something?

When the new iCloud Photo Library and its accompanying Photo app for Mac is available, this problem will go away. In the mean time, you have another option. Instead of syncing albums or photos from your photo library onto your device, why not create a shared Photo Stream with the older photos you want to have with you? Those can be deleted as you wish.
Or, as Ralph suggested, if you are planning a trip, remove the excess photos before you leave so you do not run out of room.
Cheers,
GB

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