It's honestly kind of funny, because I feel like having the latest phone is way more expensive now than it was in the early/mid 2000s. I remember having pretty crazy offers for getting the latest flagship phones for free when you re-upped your contract. Even in High school I could afford to have the first 2 iPhones, and Galaxies S3-S6 brand new, 100% free, nothing added to my normal contract price whatsoever. Now, it seems like they just hide it in "24 easy payments" over the contract, maybe giving you a few hundred on trading in last year's $1500 phone, while you're still paying well over $1000 for a phone, just in $50/mo increments. Even now that I make good money, I can't fathom spending flagship phone money, and have been rocking my $300 loaded Note S20 5G for 3 years now.

You can get a free smartphone of reasonable quality if you meet certain qualifications. All expenses paid. Obama phone continues to provide for those in poverty, homeless, with low income medical insurance, food stamps, etc.