Once the subsidies are gone, the main thing is the price of the plan - compared to which a flagship is small. In many places in Europe, you can get reasonable

Once the subsidies are gone, the main thing is the price of the plan - compared to which a flagship is small. In many places in Europe, you can get reasonable monthly plans for ~$10; If you only use data, about half that. If you pay $1000 for 6 years of service, it puts the phone price in a completely different perspective than if you pay that for 18 months (which, last I checked US prices, was the case).