Looks like the A1 is $489.00-$559.00. A $170-$200 3d Creality printer still fits into a different category and pricepoint imo for beginners on a budget.
But there's also the A1 mini. A volume of 180x180x180mm³ is not bad.
You can get a Bambu Lab A1 mini for 205 EUR. Cheapest Bambu Lab A1 I see is 345 EUR.
The A1 is presently $339.00. The price you cited is for the combo including the AMS, which allows for multi-filament printing.