I EDC things that I find a need for on a daily basis: flashlight, knife, pen... I work in facilities maintenance, so my flashlight gets used a lot, anything from searching behind someone's computer to find that usb cable that got pulled out, to crawling through a crawlspace or attic. Often times I'll carry out small tasks by flashlight rather than unlocking all the necessary doors to get to the light switch that I would need. For the last 10 years or so, I've been carrying either an Oveready bored Surefire 6P, or a Malkoff MD2, though lately it's mostly been the MD2 since I ran out of my stash of hard press switch boots and the 6P turns on to easily in my pocket with anything softer.
Although I do occasionally use the flashlight mode on my phone, I don't see it as a good option for most people. I have people handing me their phone on a regular basis to show me a picture of something wrong that they'd like addressed at work, or to help change some setting, and it is extremely rare for anyone to hand me a phone with more than 20% of battery charge. They might be able to find their way out of the burning building, but they aren't going to be able to call 911 once they get there.