I'll agree in that right now there is no ideal device that matches my needs--closest thing I've found is the Note 2 and based on the what I've read/seen about the One, S4, and Xperia Z, I'm staying with the Note 2. Bummer to because the One looked sooo good on paper and in photos.
IIRC, I thought you really liked your Galaxy Nexus. Why not pick up a used one (probably fairly cheap) to use for a bit to see what else is on the horizon in the coming months?
I don't wanna go backwards, now.
The Nexus 4 should've been my 2013 phone. Alas... it failed.