You guys make some good points, but they are from a US prospective. Keep in mind, that the majority of phones are sold outside the US. China being the largest market followed by India and SE Asia.
These folks don't know what a subsidy is. Perhaps they are tired or just can't afford $600-800 for a phone every couple of years. An S6 sells for $800. here.
HTC, LG Sammy and Moto are now competing with a few very aggressive Chinese & Korean manufactures [ Xiaomi, Elephone, Huawei, Umi ] that are putting out top quality devices at $250-400. And let's not forget about the One Plus One.
I think these Companies need to not only rethink thief product, they need to understand who their customers are, where they are, and present an affordable Flagship that meets the Worldwide demand.
As a side note: Our malls have a full floor dedicated to PHONES. Next time I am at the mall I will snap a few photos and you will see how many customers are in the Sammy, HTC LG stores and how many are in those stores that sell sell Xiaomi, Elephone, Oppo etc. You may be shocked..