Android OS without Google Services? I have a Sony Xperia Z with version 4.1.2 running.

My question is about removing all of the Google baggage from the phone.

I have no Google account tied to my phone and would really like to get rid of all traces of Google from my phone for a few reasons:


Battery performance: Google services ranks in the top 3 of what uses up my battery
Privacy: I try to minimize what Google siphons from my phone with the exception of Google maps
Less Dependency: I don't want to be dependent on one company for all my needs.


So are there any Android versions out there that are minimalistic and do not invade your privacy?
Most after-market ROMs ship without Google Apps by default. Take a look at e.g. CyanogenMod, which is available for many devices. So if you can install custom ROMs, that's one way to go.

A different approach would be disabling all Google apps, or even remove them (on a rooted device). This might be a little more tricky as you would have to figure out all dependencies yourself.