Veblen goods
Well, increasing the price is a sure way to boost the sales of their flagship, now all the people desperately wanting to display "status" will get one (in a jewel-studded case most likely).
Just a pity for those who can't afford to put that kind of money in a phone (especially given my old Note still works perfectly). If it weren't for the price I would had bought one: Didn't buy a 7 for obvious reasons, mistrusted the 8, the 9 was the one to get. But not at any price. Oh well.