> One thing that surprised me is the [high] price [vs SES for example]

Not sure if you read the announcement closely:

> Sending email that actually reaches inboxes usually means wrestling with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records. When you add your domain to Email Service, we configure all of it automatically. Your emails are authenticated and delivered, not flagged as spam.

this service is batteries included. SES is not.