I get that you're saying you have no mods conflicting, but I suggest that you might want to dig into it a bit more. I've seen threads with similar issue 3 other times in the past few weeks and it's been a mod conflict every time so far. In 2 out of 3, the OP opened with saying "it wasn't mods" just like you did.
Keep in mind that just because mods are up-to-date doesn't mean they aren't conflicting in some way, possibly with each other. There's only one way to confirm that. Disable mods, start a new game, and if the problem is not present with a new game when your mods are disabled...it is probably a mod issue.
You don't need to "remove your mods folder" as you indicate, btw. Just go into options and turn them OFF. Then start a new game and see if it's an option on the phone like it should be.
My mods are all up to date as well, and yet I've had to remove 3 of them over the past 2 weeks because they were causing problems, so I feel your pain. Good luck tracking things down.