Considering what phone to upgrade to...

I've currently got an iPhone 5S. I absolutely love it. I was on a contract for 2 years & then switched to sim only contract to cut costs for this past year. The time has come to upgrade though.

The main thing that has occurred to me, trying to strike a balance between getting a decent smart phone whilst keeping the costs down as much as possible... is that Apple is a bad choice. In an ideal world I'd get a 64GB iPhone SE but I can't afford that.

The three options I'm thinking of are the Samsung Galaxy A3 or A5 (2016 models), or the Sony Xperia M4 Aqua. They all have the benefit of taking micro-SD cards to increase storage.

Does anyone have any experience with those phones, or brands even...?

At the moment I'm leaning towards the A5. Played around with one in the store & it was great. (They didn't have any A3 in stock to let me try & I didn't try the Xperia, although will if I start to seriously consider it)

I am with you on my next phone having microsd support. I've been leaning towards the Motorola Moto G with the highest level of space etc. I've slowly been leaning away from the hot flagships towards a phone that will serve me as well as my Nexus 5, and OnePlus One have. Both still work great but the battery on my Nexus 5 is a problem, and of course they're not built with long life expectation. So replaceable battery is also something I want.

My phone provider doesn't sell Motorola's anymore for some reason...

The Nexus 5X looks pretty nice but alas, no micro-SD slot & although respectable at 32GB, I'd prefer more.

I've been told about the upcoming OnePlus 3. It looks very nice but unfortunately I can't afford to buy a phone outright, so stuck to ones that are available on contracts.

Oh, well I think here in the states people are buying their moto G phones straight from Motorola. I think Moto gives payment options, which let you pay the phone off without charging you interest like a credit card would. Buying a phone outright can be cheaper than a phone plan purchase but yes, it can be daunting to have the expense all at once. Especially if you want the Samsung.

I love my phones.