That first article is poor and you're giving it as if it's a valid reference. I have an older Nexus 4 that I keep around, with CyanogenMod installed on it and

That first article is poor and you're giving it as if it's a valid reference. I have an older Nexus 4 that I keep around, with CyanogenMod installed on it and without Google's services, which is pretty much AOSP. Despite what seems to be popular opinion, it's quite usable. The big thing that is missing and the reason for why Google affords to keep mobile phone makers by their balls are of course Google Play, Gmail and Google Maps. You do have F-Droid and Amazon's app store. It's quite an interesting experience - if you have an Android lying around, try it out.