Which Android phone should I buy?

[Babar]

Hello all!
With my recent birthday (and with this time actually having family around) I came into a little money, and figured I'd get myself a new android smartphone.
It seems I keep coming back here for recommendations, so figured I'd do it again .
My old phone is an offbrand android using a MTK MT6859 chip (QuadCore, 1.2GHz, 1GB RAM), but that was pretty cheap, and the quality of hardware is showing now.

I plan on rooting the phone, replacing all the default apps (homescreen, calendar, keyboard, dialer, etc) and appearance, so what it comes with doesn't matter if it is good otherwise. In fact, I want to try and distance myself as much as possible from some sort of pervasive "always connected to google" stuff. I'm also (attempting at) doing some android dev, so I don't know if that'd affect things if I want to use it for testing.
I'd like nice hardware features, though (stuff like wireless charging, microSD slot), although I guess some of the stuff I'd be interested in is no longer feasible (FM transmitter, IR ), should have the usual cool stuff, and maybe some extra stuff.
Still, I'd like it to be relatively new, so that I could be upgrading it and using it as my main phone for a while now.

With a max budget of about $600, any suggestions on a phone? Any suggestions where I could look for options? Most stores seem way more complicated for this stuff, since they factor in contracts or have 'unlocked' phones as some special category. Or should I just go with the latest iteration of one of the major brands (Nexus 6 or Samsung S6 or Xperia Z5)?

Or should I skip out on a mobile get something else entirely ? Currently I don't have the option to order from abroad, so most other stuff is less available to me. If I was more certain where I'd be in the near future, or that I wouldn't be constantly moving about, I might've pondered getting a nice battlestation of a desktop computer, but that doesn't seem likely at the moment.

[Retro Wolf]

I'm using Moto G 2nd edition, stock Android, I like it.

[LimpingFish]

Members of my family have had Samsung S4s and S5s and seem quite happy with them.

I myself have a Windows phone, so...

[Ryan Timothy B]

I myself have a Windows phone, so...

That sounded like regret. I once had a windows phone 7 and at first I thought it was the greatest phone ever... until my brother got an android phone. A Motorola something or other. It opened my eyes to Android and with how limited my phone was.

Anyway, I currently have a Samsung S5 and I love it. I'm not overly fond of how Samsung likes to tweak the OS to their preferences and style but overall it's nothing to really complain about.

[AnasAbdin]

If you prefer slightly larger phones, I've been using Samsung Galaxy Note 2 until 5. Never complained. And AGS games look incredible Samsung S5 is also awesome.

[Khris]

I have the Xperia Z3 and it's awesome. 10/10.

[Peder 🚀]

The nexus 6 (first one) is great! Though battery life can be so so. But the bigger screen imo is great .

[Calin Leafshade]

HTC phones have been my favourite for about a decade now. The HTC One is a beautiful phone.

[[delete}]

Maybe a phone with an open-source operating system?

Maru OS on the Google LG Nexus 5 phone

[[delete}]

Or none. Me don't have a mobile phone too. Letters and postcards are now avantgarde.

[Babar]

Thanks Amelie!

It seems there isn't really any consensus. I guess I could just go with the latest of any of the major brands and be fine..

[LindaBelle]

So what phone did you buy? )  And whom comment with recommendation become the decisive in your choice?)

[Babar]

I haven't bought one yet, other people are giving me so much conflicting ideas. Someone suggested that I should save my money, buy a $200 phone, and then 2-3 years down the line, if I feel the need, buy another $200 phone.

Also, the Oculus Rift has its price now set at $600....

[Nikolas]

When I moved back to London (September) I got a nice offer for a Samsung S6, which I couldn't really refuse. And I seriously love that phone. Fast enough, big enough, with enough hard disk space, etc... awesome overall.

Generally speaking you can't go wrong with a pricey phone, like the flagships of HTC, Samsung, LG, Sony (though I don't particularly like LGs).

[Jack]

Also, the Oculus Rift has its price now set at $600....

Bit OT but give the rift a pass IMO. If you must do HMD, get a Vive, it has a much better chance at succeeding in the market. Still not a great chance.

I own a rift (DK1) and was very underwhelmed. For me, the added immersion of 3D sound & vision just highlighted what was missing from the experience, namely the actual feeling of movement, smell, etc. It's an uncanny valley sort of deal. You brain also notices the difference between perceived and actual motion, so what they have here is an expensive toy that makes a lot of its customers sick to their stomachs. Projected market saturation about as deep as a puddle of puke.

So until they perfect consumer-level artificial gravity, 3D is the gimmick it has always been, and one not worth being totally severed from the real world by wearing an HMD IMO.