content: You should try running an AOSP ROM without Google Play services. There are still a lot of geek developers on XDA. You can get by with F-Droid. I mean, I find the trend of removing useful features like the microSD card slot and the removable battery very annoying. But are physical buttons / keyboard really a big deal to you? Personally I prefer the screen buttons to the hardware buttons because my physical buttons tend to fail on me whereas the screen practically never dies - and it also gives the added benefit of being able to move those buttons around, changing their function, etc. by user preference or app context extremely easy. Also I love my clicky mechanical keyboard at home, but the tiny membrane crap they ship with phones was terrible. Honestly I find that an on-screen keyboard on 5"+ screens to be comparable in quality, and that the haptic feedback often gives a better feeling than a real smartphone keyboard.