Seems to me maybe your someone who can't afford 4G LTE and therefore have to justify why you don't want to get it. However what you and a lot of other people seem to forget that speeds vary for everyone even on the same network depending on where they are.
I'm on O2 currently and here in London I get very poor coverage especially at home and at work. My typical download speeds are around 2-3 Mbps. You're lucky if you can get things like web pages, emails etc. load instantly because I can't. Sure I could move to another network on 3G with unlimited data and maybe cost less. That said 4G makes a big difference not only to data natively but also to faster 3G speeds and better 3G signals too. Yes EE is expensive for what you get as they've got no competition but in my opinion its still worth it.
It's got absolutely nothing to do with bragging rights and everything to do with a far better user experience. I don't what speeds I will get but if I can get 20-50 Mbps that's going to be much better then I would get on 3G. I really don't want to switch to a network like Three even though a lot of people seem to swear by them as they have poor customer service and there coverage where I am is poor as well. I'm willing to try EE 4G LTE service even if its for 12 months as it would be SIM only for me so not that expensive.
Nothing to do with money my friend. If I wanted it, I'd get it.
For whatever reason, I get (much) better speed on O2 in London than you seem to and I genuinely can't think of many times when I wish it was faster, or think that it's slow. Unless, you're using the phone as a modem on a regular basis etc...