Because since the cost of a phone has traditionally bundled into your contract, and prepaid plans just aren't a thing, even the most expensive phones look "chea

Because since the cost of a phone has traditionally bundled into your contract, and prepaid plans just aren't a thing, even the most expensive phones look "cheap" month-on-month - so nearly everyone with just a little disposable income has a flagship Android phone or an iPhone because they can mostly afford it. Americans think of things as costing a certain amount of their budget per month, rather than pricing their total costs, due in part to the relatively easy (and normalised) accessibility of credit.