I'm not sure if they're really "shitty". I think their phones do offer up some unique features. Updates to Android are really nice and all the special sauce Google adds to the phones are pretty compelling.

I think what is shitty is their retail game. They're not even close to competing with Apple on this one. I've also heard a lot of conflicting stories about their support. That would be my biggest concern buying a phone or product from them. (I do have the nexus 6p but thankfully never had to contact support.)