But you can get an unlocked Android phone using one of Qualcomm's Snapdragon processors for under $200. You can even get a phone with flagship specs, with also has a Snapdragon processor for $300. I think the big issue with price, is that the big phone manufacturers make hundreds of dollars profit on every phone they sell. https://www.zdnet.com/article/iphone-xs-max-how-much-profit-does-apple-really-make-on-each-one-sold/
Being thrifty is always a boom for the conscientious end user. It doesn't take but the brains in one's head to determine the absolute best bargain that can actually turn out better then those high dollar flagships and the like at the lowest bargain basement price. Of course with the overpopulation of money making these days, the vast majority of what are called consumers, (I call them customers)will always dish out the bread for what they perceive to be the best and latest. In that sort of atmosphere, popular vendors easily rake it in while sliding the scale up higher and higher every year.
It's funny...one of the commenters whined in that article that you can't base the cost to just BOM but also need to take count electricity, worker salary, etc... Well, it just happens that the assembly factories that make the finished product are not located in the USA... But in Asia made by Foxconn and Pegatron, both Taiwanese companies and we all know why... (hint: $1.50 per hour)
Xiaomi's Pocophone F1, uses the Snapdragon 845, which is the same processor used in Samsung's S9 and Note 9, but it sells on Amazon for around $350. This is a good indication of the massive profits Apple and Samsung are making.
