It's getting to the point where I'm considering retiring my current Nexus 5, considering how it's aged. It still performs okay for my needs, but the lack of security updates (last one it got was in October of last year) and battery aging (it barely stays alive through a typical workday, with maybe an hour of podcast listening and light usage otherwise) are motivating me to consider a replacement.

As replacements I'm looking at the Nokia 6 or Moto G5 Plus, which should give you some idea of what I'm willing to pay. Also considered a refurbished Google Pixel, but those are still rather more expensive than I'd like.

Some general thoughts:

• Nokia have a very good (but short) record for keeping Android up to date on their recent phones (since acquisition of the brand by HMD)
  
• The Moto lacks NFC, meaning no Android Pay (which I do use)
  
• The Nokia has been criticized for having a rather weak processor. I probably don't care, given my phone is not a gaming device to me.
  
• Camera on the G5 seems a little better
  
• I dislike the aesthetics of the raised home button on the Moto
  
• Dual-SIM support on the Nokia would be nice for occasional international travel
  
• Neither of them supports wireless charging, which I like on my Nexus

Prices I'm seeing for the two devices are $230 for the 32GB variant of the Nokia and $240 for the 64GB Moto, but I'm not too concerned about the storage differential since both support SD card expansion.
Having software update support is important to me. Not so much new versions of Android, but security updates definitely. In that respect the Nokia seems like a better choice, but it's also a reason to consider a Pixel (since as a first-party Google device it gets updates quickly and reliably) if not for the cost.

In short, I'm thinking I want to get the Nokia. But I'm curious if anybody else has opinions on the matter. Discuss!

Pixel XL. It's great. Get it. If you're looking for something smaller, Pixel. It's also great. Get it.

Wireless charging is a gimmick. USB-C "rapid" charging is much more useful in everyday practice. Dual SIMs are a useless feature. Even if you think you need it you really don't.

Copying from IRC and chopping out less relevant bits:

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I agree they're good devices, but it doesn't seem worthwhile to me to spend that much given the above typical uses (which are not at all demanding).

I certainly don't need it, but it is nice to have. Faffing about with possibly-flaky cables is annoying (but fixable by getting non-flaky cables for sure).

Probably true; I look at it as more of a bonus, and the second SIM slot appears to do double duty as the SD card slot, so it's a "pick one" situation in which one function is more likely to be used and the other might turn out to be useful at some point.

I highly recommend the OnePlus 5.

Fastest processor on the market, great camera, amazing battery (lasts a day on a 30 minute charge) and is just all around great. It is a bit out of your price range ($480) but its a really good deal considering its much less then a Pixel or Galaxy but is just as fast (or faster).

Additionally, it is only a month old and will get at least up to Android P (probably Q as well) and then security updates after that.

It might cost a bit more, but I recommend looking into it. I have been loving mine.

I hadn't really looked at the latest OnePlus offerings; the OnePlus 5 is a pretty good looking piece of hardware for a reasonable amount of money, but I lack your confidence in the support longevity.

Looking at wikipedia's version history table for OnePlus devices and examining it longitudinally:

• One: supported from 02.09.2015 to sometime prior to 04.08.2016
  
• X: sometime prior to 04.08.2016 to 10.11.2016
  
• 2: sometime prior to 04.08.2016 to 10.07.2017
  
• 3: xx.11.2016 to 12.06.2017
  
• 3T: 28.11.2016 to 12.06.2017

Based on that history, I wouldn't expect much more than a year of software support.

I have a Sony Z1 Compact that I've used for 3 or 4 years. It's still great, has most features of current phones and takes incredibly sharp photographs... It's small hand has great memory expansion.

Dik

Huh. I somehow thought that it would be supported much longer than that.
However, the OnePlus community has ported every Android version to even the OnePlus One (it can run Nougat), so I would assume that they would do the same with the five.

While I wouldn't want to replace my current device with one of similar age like that, you did make me look at newer Sony devices, and the Xperia X Compact is pretty good looking. It's a little bit more expensive but correspondingly more powerful, so the pricing and feature set seem quite reasonable to me.

My main concern would be regarding longevity of software support. While Sony have stated it will receive an update to Android O, being around 6 months older than the Nokia 6 the support lifetime is probably also shorter. Combine with (admittedly untested) statements from HMD that they plan to provide timely support for their new devices, I have rather more confidence in continuing to receive updates to the Nokia than an Xperia.

It is nice to notice that there are still some good smaller phones out there, though. Thanks for the recommendation!

I'd rather not have to wrangle updates myself, but that is somewhat nice to hear.