Came here to say this. An argument could be made several years ago that an iPhone was a savvy purchase as they truely worked significantly both better and for longer, than the competition.
Now it is quite possible to get a quality smartphone for $200 ( http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-budget-android-phone/ ) instead of almost 1k.
Agree to grandparent's points about smartphones being almost indispensable tools for those without computers and landlines.