Previous Commenter said:
“might take the cake” is a bad thing, not a good one!
Somebody does something outrageous and we say, “Well, that certainly takes the cake!”
Someone wanting a real SE 2, a 4” phone, will look at this new one and react with dismay, “What was Apple thinking? That really takes the cake!”
They might also decide that Apple was saying, “Let them eat cake!”
Still, I agree with your view — this phone is an incredible bang for its buck! It takes the prize!