I know many people who complain about migrants “faking their conditions” or “getting bribed by biden” because they have a smartphone which they can only imagine is an iPhone. Like if you don’t have have a polka dot sack tied to a stick and wearing plastic bottle sandals and using Nokia flip phones, you’re not struggling. But funny enough, if you live inside your car that’s fully licensed and registered, then they’re unable to make the connection that the person is not so far from our own financial situation.
I had to sit there and explain to them the concept of prepaid phones and how there are a billion android phones available with 3 cameras, face unlock, capable of shitty mobile games, and so on starting from $5 to $300. Not everything is a $1000 iPhone 20 XL. And despite this, their final thoughts are “ok, but still the democrats are bribing them.” 
Also, I’m a tech nerd so when I do replace my phone every 2-4 years, I usually get the top model because I know I’ll use the hardware to its fullest.
That said, I also justify this because my $1,500 phone has replaced my $200-400 phone, my $300 iPod, my $500 digital camera, my $200 palm pilot, my $200 GPS, my $100 pc scanner, and for some instances, my $1000 laptop and $400 tablet.
So yes , top end devices are very expensive, my for me, it’s actually saved me from buying so many devices like I had to in the early 2000’s
ain’t no way any phone is replacing a digital camera.
Depends on the kinds of pictures you need it to take. For non-photographers smartphones definitely killed off demand for low-end Standalone cameras.
A modern flagship phone can definitely replace a digital camera
Almost every digital camera has a decent optical zoom. I think phones have at most 3x (ok supposedly some phones have “10x” but I’m not sure I buy that). My digital camera from like 10 years ago still takes better pictures than any phone camera I’ve used.