It's all about the little differences. A $300 is "good enough", to be sure, but that extra $700 will get you slightly faster performance, a higher resolution display, slightly better keyboard, trackpad and battery life.
For something that you use day in and day out and is so crucial to work and life, that $700 starts paying back very quickly. I always make it a point to spend a shitload on my PC - the returns are priceless. Quite literally, it saves a few minutes a day, causes less eye strain, helps me sleep better and get more done. And ultimately, makes my life better in an intangible way.
That said, I'm quite stingy with phones :) Only buy the best value for money rather than the very best. That's mostly because I don't use it very much, only for calls and chat.
I agree with you on these points! TBH I'm glad that a year spent being frugal is paying off now! :) I change my phones once every 3-4 years and these days you can get a lot done with a good phone around 25-35K inr