Well the Nexus 4 started at $299 at launch, and the Nexus 5 and 5X at $349, so that changes things a bit.
I do think that Google's support lifetime of these phones is atrocious, my comment was in reference to the "At least they are being more transparent than in the past."
If they want me back as a customer, they need to add a "turn off all telemetry" button (just like Microsoft needs one), and they'd need to double the support lifetime or half the price of this phone to be inline with Apple.
I've noticed Apple tended to command a ~2x price premium on Android, even when their phones had shorter support periods. I personally am willing to pay that premium for privacy/security, but not the camera or apps / os features, which are largely comparable between the two platforms.
I do think that Google's support lifetime of these phones is atrocious, my comment was in reference to the "At least they are being more transparent than in the past."