No. In the big chain store right across the road from me, there’s a bunch of brand new Xiaomis, Realmes, Samsungs and Motorollas for as low as $70. Admittedly the cheapest ones are a complete e-waste, but the ones in $150-200 range are perfectly capable of doing anything you’d need a phone to do for the next 3-5 years. Phones have became an appliance these days, you don’t really need to buy the best microwave in the market every year, just buy the second cheapest when previous breaks after a decade and it’ll be just as fine. Same with phones, the only real differences I see in top-end vs budget phones is like just a slightly faster cpu, slightly better displays, slightly better cameras and wireless charging. But that’s to me sounds like a 900W microwave with moisture sensor and app control versus a 800W one without any any of that, but at 4X the price difference.

This of course doesn’t apply if you’re like playing competitive Fortnite or PUBG on the phone or something, to which I would say: 1) WHY? get a console, ffs, or better yet, a proper gaming pc, and 2) you’re not really buying a phone at this point, but a handheld console that just happens to fill that role as well. Same goes if you buy Apple for things locked in their ecosystem.

PS. And yeah, nothing of it has any relation to Europe, it just happens that 3 out of 4 phones in that image are way overpriced for what they’re worth.

No phone could ever be worth more than $200. Change my mind.