I'm no tech expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I threw down $350 for a Galaxy Nexus two years ago, which if you buy it directly from Google comes unlocked with no bloatware whatsoever. It was a great purchase. T-Mobile, at that time, was charging $60/mo for unlimited everything if you had an unlocked phone (I think they throttled your data after 2GB or something). Really can't beat that deal, if they still have it. I switched to iPhone when my company started footing the bill, because well, free is still better than $60/mo, even with strings attached. If I had to get my own phone again, I'd toss the iPhone 5 straight in the trash and go back to a Nexus any day.So $350 all in for an unlocked Android running cyanogenmod? Sure, I'll give it a try.
I was ready to buy a OnePlus One after hearing today's Nexus announcement. But apparently you have to prostitute yourself on their forums for weeks on end to get an exclusive invite for the privilege of spending your money on their product. So it costs less money but a whole lot of time and dignity... and leaves a nasty taste in my mouth, just like regular offline prostitution.