Xperia M5 vs Galaxy A5/A7 2016

Take my word and stay away from Sony's Xperia phones for the time being. ever since the Xperia Z3 came out most Xperia phones faced a ton of issues both hardware and software related. recent case is with the Xperia X camera overheating issue.
* Go for the A7, you get a bigger battery (3300mAh) compared to the M5 (2600mAh).
* A better camera on the A7. (even though the M5 packs 21 megapixels in its camera sensor keep in mind the pixel numbers don't matter, it's all about the sensor and Samsung is known for having the best cameras around in a smartphone).
* The A7 has an AMOLED display, AMOLED is literally the best display technologies that is out there famously used on the S6, S7, and Note 5, and non other displays come close to it. the M5 has an IPS LCD display, it's outdated by today's standards and looks dim and washed out compared to Samsung's AMOLED.
* You also get a more appealing and a beautiful build quality with the A7. the front and back are made of Gorilla glass 4 and are scratch resistant for the most part. and the chassis is made of pure metal and not fake metal like it was with the older samsung phones. * another thing to keep in mind is that the A7 includes a fingerprint scanner which means more security and control over your smartphone, while the M5 doesn't.
* The camera lens is made of glass on the A7, meaning it's scratch resistant since we mostly put our phones on their back most of time and they are prone to scratches, so it won't scratch unlike the M5 which camera lens is made of plastic and can scratch easily with a fingernail.
* One last thing to point out is the water resistance, if you're planning on taking your phone beside a pool or dipping in water or involve it in any water related situations, you don't have to worry about that with the M5 because it's water resistant. the A7 isn't water resistant and will be a brick by the time you pull it out of the sink or the bottom of a pool.
Hope this helps!

/r/PickAnAndroidForMe Thread