I think so, yes, especially if you sign a two year contract, and become eligible for an update every 20 months. You will pay a lot more over the contract period for service than you will at the time of purchase of the handset. What you will get is the fastest phone that you can buy on that day, one that will be far more likely to be supported with OS upgrades and the like, for a small amount of cash outlay compared with what you will spend for service. Your phone will be plagued less with issues of lag, etc.
If you can't afford to spend what they will charge, or you do not want a handset that is that size, or you feel that you need a hardware keyboard, then obviously that must factor into your decision.