Any reviewer or person stating “these are almost like the 2021 pair” is completely wrong. From the slightly slimmer outsole, different midsole tooling, slightly bigger swoosh, thicc polyurethane insole, boardblasted, Eight lace holes, wider more rounded toe box…heck even the shoe laces are different! I don’t mind paying for top quality products, so the price hike was well deserved. I wish all shoes were crafted like this.
Don’t be fooled by Jordan brand. They don’t use full grain leather ever. The Jordans you have probably use top grain with a coating that makes it feel nicer. A real premium leather shoe is going to cost way more than that.