> the sad thing about google/moto only churning out low end phones, is that we now will have to give in to weird rooting/unlocking if we want basic features, like a simple sd card or removable battery.

It sounds like you probably don't know about these: https://play.google.com/store/devices/details/Samsung_Galaxy... https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=htc_one&hl=...

Samsung S4 and HTC One are available in unlocked "Google Play edition" models. They're as expensive as any high-end off-contract phone, but they do what you want.