[valuearb]

You have lost perspective when you ignore actual costs, including wireless service costs. The $449 SE you buy today will sell for half that price used in 2 years, making its actual monthly cost less than $10.

The cheapest smartphone in the US costs at least $25/month ($300 a year) in wireless charges, and its owner will typically use it for thirty hours a month or more. Trying to save less than $10 a month (maybe a quarter per usage hour) by having a significantly worse camera and a much worse phone experience seems like ignoring the forest for the trees.

If you aren’t going to pay up slightly for a much better phone experience in today’s world, what are you spending your money on?