I've been an Android fan and supporter for 8 years. I'm pretty invested in the ecosystem, both Android and Google. Google Minis at home, Chromecasts, YouTube Premium, etc.
That being said, in my last position at work, I had an iPhone. I had it just short of two years and I miss it dearly. Not because of the tech but because of a few simple things like iMessages. My friends and family have iPhones and I relied heavily on the simplicity of iMessages, including the group chat.
I'm up for renewal now and I was prepared to get an iPhone over an Note 9. Now, with these prices, I can't justify it. It will cost me hundreds more. I like the larger screen, so I would need a Xs Max. I need more than 64gb, so I would need to get the 256gb model.
It will cost me $640 more to get the iPhone Xs Max over the Note 9. That's a lot of money.
I can make the Google ecosystem work without an Android phone but I can't get over the price difference.