Samsung has announced its next Galaxy Note device at an event in New York. By default, the new smartphone should be called the Note 6, but Samsung has jumped a digit in order to align the Note with its current 2016 flagships.

The Galaxy Note 7 arrives with a fabulous design and some powerful hardware under its hood, but how does it stand up to the competition? You can read how the Note 7 compares to the Note 5 and Note 4, as well as how it compares to the S7 edge and S7 in our separate features.

This feature is all about how the Galaxy Note 7 and the Apple iPhone 6S stack up against each other. It's the battle of the phablets, based on the numbers.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs Apple iPhone 6S Plus: Design

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 features a similar design to that of Samsung's Galaxy S7 edge but with the added advantage of the built-in S Pen and a slightly squarer shape. It's a beautiful device sporting a metal build, coupled with a curved glass rear and a curved glass display, which is symmetrical aside from the protruding camera lens on the back.

The Note 7 measures 153.5mm x 73.9mm x 7.9mm, weighs 169g and comes with a water and dust resistance rating of IP68. A fingerprint sensor is situated on the front, while an iris scanner has been placed into the top and you'll find the S-Pen tucked in the bottom right.

The Apple iPhone 6S Plus also offers a lovely design, featuring a fabulous all metal construction. Measuring 158.1 x 77.9 x 7.3mm and weighing 192g, Apple's phablet is slimmer than the Note 7, but larger in terms of overall footprint and heavier.

It too has a fingerprint sensor on the front in the form of Touch ID but there is no iris scanner or any kind of official waterproof rating and it doesn't come with its own built-in stylus either.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs Apple iPhone 6S Plus: Display

The Samsung Galaxy Note series has featured a 5.7-inch display in the past and the Galaxy Note 7 sticks with this tradition, only it makes it curved instead of flat, as we mentioned. The display technology remains Super AMOLED and the resolution of the Note 7 stays at Quad HD, like recent Note devices, which puts the Note 7's pixel density at 515ppi.

A few things are worth noting though. For starters, the Note 7 has the same Always-on display technology as the S7 edge and the S7, which is beneficial when it comes to using the S-Pen without unlocking the device. The Note 7 also sports mobile HDR, which makes it the first smartphone capable of showing mobile HDR content when it becomes available.

The Apple iPhone 6S Plus has a 5.5-inch display, making it smaller than the Note 7, despite being a larger device. It also has a lower resolution than the Note 7, with Apple choosing Full HD for a pixel density of 401ppi, meaning the Note 7 will theoretically offer sharper images. That said, the iPhone 6S Plus has a pressure sensitive display, allowing for different features based on the force with which you press.

Apple opts for an LCD IPS display for the iPhone 6S Plus. LCD tends to deliver more realistic colours than AMOLED but they can lack the punch and vibrancy found in OLED displays. Samsung's Note devices have been praised for their displays in the past, but so have Apple's devices, so it's worth remembering numbers aren't everything.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs Apple iPhone 6S Plus: Cameras

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has the same cameras as the S7 edge and S7 smartphones, both of which deliver excellent results. The Note 7 therefore features a 12-megapixel rear snapper, coupled with a 5-megapixel front-facing shooter. 

Both sensors have an aperture of f/1.7 in order to help them excel in low light conditions so it's looking good for the Note 7. The rear sensor is capable of recording 4K video and there is phase detection autofocus, auto HDR and optical image stabilisation on board. Auto HDR is also available on the front camera. 

The Apple iPhone 6S Plus also has a 12-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front camera. The aperture is f/2.2 for both cameras and OIS is on board the rear, while a Retina Flash is featured on the front.

Like Samsung's latest cameras, Apple's iPhone 6S Plus and iPhone 6S camera capabilities have been highly praised so while the two devices being compared here will have different ways of doing things and will be better at different things, they should both deliver great end results.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs Apple iPhone 6S Plus: Hardware

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 arrives with an Exynos chip or the Qualcomm SD820, depending on the region. There will be 4GB of RAM on board, along microSD support for storage expansion. Samsung has yet to detail what storage options would be available.

The Note 7 also comes with USB Type-C for faster charging and data transfer, a feature that both the S7 and S7 edge left off their spec sheets. The battery capacity for the Note 7 sits at 3500mAh and both fast charging and wireless charging are both supported.

The Apple iPhone 6S Plus features the Cupertino company's latest chip - the A9 - with an embedded M9 motion coprocessor. It has 2GB of RAM and it is available in 16GB, 64GB and 128GB storage options, none of which offer microSD expansion.

Battery capacity for the iPhone 6S Plus is said to be 2750mAh, which is quite a bit smaller than the capacity of the Note 7, although there is a larger screen with a higher resolution to power on the Samsung.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs Apple iPhone 6S Plus: Software

The Galaxy Note 7 arrives on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow with Samsung's TouchWiz interface over the top. The iPhone 6S Plus runs on Apple's iOS 9 software.

Some will prefer the Android OS, while others will like iOS. This really comes down to personal preference. The software overlay on the Note 7 is more refined than previous Samsung devices and users get specific features relating to the S-Pen, which will be handy for productivity.

Apple's iOS is a pretty simple and clean interface that's nice and easy to use, but it offers less customisation than you'll find on Android devices, and of course, there is no S-Pen functionality or features.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs Apple iPhone 6S Plus: Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and the Apple iPhone 6S Plus both have plenty going for them, especially in terms of design.

The Note 7 will has more powerful hardware, along with more advanced technology like the iris scanner, while the S Pen will be the deciding factor for some. It's worth remembering that the iPhone 6S Plus is almost a year old though and it has already proved itself when it comes to camera and its ability to perform.

We will be updating this feature when we have reviewed the Note 7 in full to see how it compares to the iPhone 6S Plus in the real world.