How much would you pay for a phone?

'Tis the season of giving, holidays, and ultraexpensive smartphones, it seems. Samsung opened the floodgates when it charged a Benjamin more for its Galaxy S8 and S8+ than the starting price of the S7 and S7 edge last year, then priced the Note 8 at $830. Apple one-upped it with the $999 iPhone X, but also charges more for the iPhone 8 than it did for the iPhone 7 before it, while Google went all out with a 128 GB Pixel 2 XL that lands at $950.

Oh, let's not forget the LG V30, launched at $830 starting price. Even Huawei, which has now reached the third spot as phone maker, both in market share and profitability, is asking $900 for the Mate 10 Pro. This worrying trend may be spreading downhill, too, as value-for-money offers like the OnePlus 5T are priced $500, compared to the $480 that the OnePlus 5 used to command at launch, and so on.

The upward price swing this season, compared to the previous year, can be attributed to the shift towards taller and narrower screen designs, the widespread use of more premium materials for the casing, and a bevy of features that phone makers have to offer now to stand a chance, like dual cameras, or neat biometry tricks for unlocking. Still, our disposable income hasn't really changed all that much in the span of a year.

Moreover, it's never been easier to nab a midrange or even lower-end handset that will do the vast majority of your tasks with "good enough" results, compared to something twice as expensive, too. That is why we wanted to ask you, in the year when top-shelf phone prices swung from $650+ on average, to $750+, how much are you really willing to pay for a phone?

We aren't putting tens of price brackets below, just general ranges that roughly correspond to current low-, mid- and high-end devices tag bands, to gauge whether the recent average price shift upwards, may actually be ahead of its times. Granted, installment plans and holiday discounts can soften the blow, but on the whole, what price cap would you set for a phone that does the job for you personally?