I used to use these two things as decision makers.Since I bought a Nexus 4 three years ago, I have not had either feature (other than short spurts with other phones). And, I found that I do not miss them at all. Today I wouldn't pay a nickel for either feature.
I did purchase the 64GB version of the Nexus 6 last year, which costs a bit more. But SD cards are not free either, and built in storage is definitely more dependable! There are plenty of issues with SD cards, especially if you install apps on them.
I think these are some of those features that a few people see as important, and assume that everyone else does too. How many users even use SD cards or remove the batteries? I would wager that it's a relatively small number. I seriously doubt whether these features make a noticeable impact on device sales. If they did, the manufacturers would put them in.