Why is there all this whining about LTE and removable storage? I know it's a year later, but have we forgotten what a train wreck the Verizon Nexus was at the beginning? As far as LTE goes, it's this simple; the Nexus line does not sell enough to have enough clout to dictate the rules to the carriers. The iPhone, on the other hand, does. Do you remember when the Galaxy Nexus became available from the Google Play Store at $349? This was right after the S3 came out and there were plenty of people looking to return their S3 for the Nexus for a few reasons. Jelly Bean, no contract, price, etc. I was one of them. I returned my S3 immediately and picked up a Galaxy Nexus I had already used before in a way on Verizon almost a year prior. No LTE. No SD card. $349 for a 16 GB phone that was almost a year old.
So about 4 months later, a brand new device is being released with the same deal; 16 GB for $349 off contract. Only this device has a vastly improved screen. Bigger battery. Ridiculously fast processor. Better camera. Better build quality. In fact, in most areas we grade a smartphone on, it's better than any other phone on the market. And it's $349 off contract. Just like the Galaxy Nexus from the Google Play Store, it doesn't have LTE or removable storage. Would this phone be better if it had both of those things? Sure. Would it be more expensive? Undoubtedly.
So in a world where the cloud offers so many options for storage (Google+, Google Play Music, DropBox, Google Drive, etc) and HSPA+ in a lot of areas offers decent speeds (sometimes just as fast as LTE), the Nexus shines. It shines because it's two shortcomings have reasons behind them. It shines because it's an incredible piece of hardware. It shines because dollar for dollar, this is easily the best Android phone in the world.
For those of you who can't get past these things, you have so many options. Galaxy S3, Droid Razr (M, HD, Maxx HD), LG Optimus G, One X, etc. For those of you who can appreciate the build quality, the raw power, the beautiful display, and the uninterrupted updates, you've got a very attractive option in one hell of a phone. The best part about Android is that we can choose. And honestly? There's really no wrong choice.