Reasons

• According to a 2019 article in Wired, several of the common reasons people give for purchasing a high end, pricey phone are using it as a computer, needing it for work, cost per use is reasonable, knowing it has better components and being willing to pay for that, wanting to be able to use apps/tech that is coming in the future, wanting the best, and having the money.
• A 2018 survey of about 2,000 smartphone users found the most important features in a smartphone were battery power, ease of use, memory, durability, and camera quality. AR/VR tools, parental control, facial recognition, digital wellness, and fitness tracking were the least important. This was not specific to high end phone users.
• A recent survey found that iPhone users have a significantly higher average salary ($53,251) than android users ($37,040).
• A 2019 survey of about 1,300 U.S. smartphone users asked how much they were willing to spend on a smartphone. Thirty percent were willing spend less than $300 on a phone; 26% said between $300 and $500; 25% said between $501 and $750; 16% said between $751 and $1,000; and 3% said over $1,000.
• Although not specific to high end phones, there are several psychological reasons why people buy luxury items. These include focusing on the positive features and ignoring the negative, low self-esteem, and a quest for authenticity. Often consumers purchase these products because of a need to show off or to gain acceptance.

Cameras

•  Instant focus was ranked the most important feature on smartphone cameras, while HDR was the second most important. However, 18-24 year-olds ranked dual cameras as the most important feature.
•  Better cameras are one of the few features that can still entice consumers to upgrade their phones, as, in general, people are keeping their phones longer.