At the same time, when I'm buying a new phone (unlocked and up front) I don't go for the $100 phones but I do take price into account. Not that it does much fo

At the same time, when I'm buying a new phone (unlocked and up front) I don't go for the $100 phones but I do take price into account. Not that it does much for OEMs selling at those lower margins but it's a large part of why I buy $350-450 phones like the Nexus 5 or Moto X instead of the $650+ iPhone. I think you nailed it on the installment plans though. Splitting up the cost and spreading it out makes a few hundred dollars less obvious (psychologically at least).