Candidly, blue texts are worth whatever thousands of dollars you have to pay each decade, for they singlehandedly raise the user’s social class. So are expensive phones worth it? Plainly, yes.
(Note - I am not endorsing this style of classism.)
Author here, you're right, I should do a followup with social data for specific brands !
Phones bring social status, just like cars. It's no coincidence that Huawei partners with Porsche for special editions.
Screen quality is nowhere on the list and is a major factor. As is OS, that has a major impact on the user experience and price and should be factored in.