I'm the last person to ask about cell phones -- I barely use them. But I do have some opinions. - I like the idea of vanilla Android. This has been reinforced by my brief experience with a Asus Zenphone -- too busy and full of bonus crap. - Nexus phones have an inferred commitment to frequent upgrades not filtered by carriers or manufacturers. My Nexus 4 and (Nexus 10 tablet) have just now fallen off this (I'm sad, but longevity sure beats other brands) - I think that Nexus phones are never carrier-locked. - I have the impression that Motorola phones shared some of the culture of Nexus. Who knows if that will change under Lenovo. - in raw hardware, among phones with all the bands available in Canada, the Asus Zenphone seems like a bargain. - I agree with you: I don't like locked phones, I don't like the hidden costs of subsidized phones, and I don't like the complexity of service offerings. Having said that, I got my Nexus 4 very inexpensively through careful analysis and exploitation of a carrier offering. - I have yet to root a phone, but I like the idea that I could.