To me price and software support are somewhat linked. Supporting their devices for such a short time is unacceptable especially for expensive high end devices. And by the time prices come down over time the phones are already closing in on the end of their software support.
Regarding the cameras in the midrange you are forgetting the Google pixel A series. I think they are increasing the prices with the 8 series, but the 6a/7a are in the same price range as Samsung’s A5x series. And outside of lacking zoom capabilities they offer flagship quality cameras.