The article cites 5G as some decision making parameter, but I don't believe this to be the case. People with slow networks (likely from urban construction density and high subscribers/cell-tower, or being in remote areas) won't see any meaningful difference, and those with fast access will have no impact either, as 4G is pretty darn fast if pushed to it's limit.
The MAIN takeaway here is simple - phone prices have crept up from $600-ish in 2013 to $1000-ish in 2019 without a commensurate increase in value to the end-user. To the extant that Apple has had to indulge in planned obsolescence [1] speaks volumes to stagnation of actual value delivered to the user.
This is just price gouging from [Apple, Google, Samsung] and the customers are right in sending them the signal of "don't care". I've personally set the max price/budget allocation to my phone at $600/two-years, and have been able to buy fabulous devices with high DXO-mark cameras, and great Antutu-speed benchmarks without breaking the bank. You should too.