> You don't always get it pop-free but it's much better than an arbitrary point as the sample is rising.

I agree with this, but that doesn't invalidate anything I've said. When you or a bit of software decide to make the cut at x[n], you are faced with the near certainty that the x[n] != 0. If you set it (or x[n+1]) to zero, you add distortion; if you don't, the risk of a pop is significant.

By contrast, if you apply a fade, the risk of getting a pop is negligible and you can make the cut anywhere you want without paying attention to 1 sample-per-pixel or finer zoom level and the details of the waveform.