It's true.The cost was probably just a bit hidden for the person. We were still doing that $200 subsidized carrier-locked phone with a two year contract back in 2011.
I bought my iPhone5 64gb (top spec at the time) with a carrier subsidy and it cost me $10/month over 24 months, $240 AUD. Ontop of the mobile plan itself which was $39/month.
These days; a basic mobile plan starts at $59/month on the same carrier; and i need to pay at least $1200 AUD outright for a non-pro base model 15. RRP might not have moved much, but there's no argument that the real world cost to own a new iPhone today is a lot higher than it was a decade ago; even adjusted for inflation.
Edit: And to be clear, carrier subsidies still exist. I can see various subsidies for pixels and older samsung phones. They just don't exist for iPhones and the newest samsungs.