Samsung announced the Galaxy Note 8 in August, expanding its 2017 flagship line up with another stunning device, this time with stylus functionality.

The Apple iPhone 7 and 7 Plus on the other hand, are coming up to a year old now but they are still excellent smartphones, offering fantastic camera capabilities and premium build qualities.

The question is, which should you choose? Here are the differences between the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and the Apple iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, based on the numbers.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 vs Apple iPhone 7 vs iPhone 7 Plus: Design

  • Note 8 is narrower than iPhone 7 Plus, but heavier
  • iPhone devices are slimmest
  • All three are waterproof

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 features a glass and metal sandwich design with an almost all-screen front, integrated S Pen stylus and dual-cameras on the rear. It measures 162.5 x 74.8 x 8.6mm and weighs 195g.

Available in five colours, the Note 8 offers IP68 water and dust resistance, a fingerprint scanner to the right of the dual camera on the back of the device and iris scanning on the front. It also offers USB Type-C on the bottom and a headphone jack at the top.

The Apple iPhone 7 and 7 Plus meanwhile, feature an all aluminium build with a circular home button and built-in fingerprint sensor on the front beneath the display so they both have larger bezels above and below the display than the Note 8.

The iPhone 7 measures 138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1mm and weighs 138g, while the iPhone 7 Plus measures 158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3mm and weighs 188g, meaning both are lighter and slimmer than the Note 8 but Samsung's device is narrower than the iPhone 7 Plus.

The two iPhones come in six colour options, both have IP67 water and dust resistance and the iPhone 7 has a single camera on the rear, while the iPhone 7 Plus has a dual camera setup. Both are charged via Lightning and neither offer a headphone jack.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 vs Apple iPhone 7 vs iPhone 7 Plus: Display

  • Note 8 has largest and sharpest display
  • Note 8 has edge-to-edge screen and HDR
  • AMOLED on Note 8, IPS on iPhones

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 has a 6.3-inch Super AMOLED Infinity display with an 18:9 aspect ratio, which allows the footprint of the device itself to be smaller than a device with a 16:9 ratio and this size display would allow for.

The display on the Note 8 is an edge-to-edge screen and it comes with a resolution of 2960 x 1440, which results in a pixel density of 524ppi. The Note 8 also has Mobile HDR Premium on board, making it compatible with HDR content from the likes of Netflix and Amazon Video.

The Apple iPhone 7 has a 4.6-inch Retina HD display, while the iPhone 7 Plus has a 5.5-inch Retina HD display, both of which have a 16:9 aspect ratio. The Retina display is an LED-backlit IPS screen and both the iPhone 7 and the 7 Plus have a flat screen.

In terms of resolution, the iPhone 7 has a 1334 x 750 resolution for a pixel density of 326pppi, while the iPhone 7 Plus has a Full HD resolution for a pixel density of 401ppi. Neither offer HDR compatibility and the pixel densities are obviously lower than the Note 8, though both iPhone displays are great in our experience despite the numbers.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 vs Apple iPhone 7 vs iPhone 7 Plus: Camera

  • Note 8 and iPhone 7 Plus both have dual cameras
  • Note 8 has higher resolution front camera
  • Single rear sensor on iPhone 7

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 has a dual rear camera consisting of two 12-megapixel sensors, one telephoto lens with a f/2.4 aperture and one wide-angle lens with a f/1.7 aperture. Both have autofocus and both have optical image stabilisation on board.

There is capacity for digital zoom up to 10 times and optical zoom at two times. The front facing camera is 8-megapixels with an aperture of f/1.7, a field of view of 80-degrees and a wide selfie feature.

The Apple iPhone 7 has a single 12-megapixel sensor with an aperture of f/1.8, optical image stabiisation and digital zoom up to five times. The iPhone 7 Plus meanwhile has a 12-megapixel telephoto lens with an aperture of f/1.8 and a wide-angle lens with an aperture of f/2.8.

The iPhone 7 Plus is capable of up to 10 times digital zoom and up to two times optical zoom, like the Note 8. It only offers single optical image stabilisation though and the front-facing camera on both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus is 7-megapixels with an aperture of f/2.2.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 vs Apple iPhone 7 vs iPhone 7 Plus: Hardware

  • Note 8 has microSD for storage expansion
  • All devices have max 256GB internal storage
  • Note 8 has wireless charging

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 comes with either the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, or the Exynos 8895 chipset, depending on the region.

Both models have 6GB of RAM support and they come in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB storage options, with microSD support for storage expansion up to 256GB. Battery capacity of the Note 8 is 3300mAhh with Quick Charge and wireless charging both supported and 32-bit audio is also supported.

The Apple iPhone 7 and 7 Plus come with Apple's A10 Fusion chip with embedded M10 motion coprocessor. Apple doesn't disclose the RAM (though it isn't as much as 6GB) and storage options are 32GB, 128GB and 256GB with no microSD support.

The iPhone 7 is said to offer up to 14 hours of battery life, while the iPhone 7 Plus is said to offer up to 21 hours battery life. There is no wireless charging support on either, or 32-bit audio playback support.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 vs Apple iPhone 7 vs iPhone 7 Plus: Software

  • Note 8 runs on Android
  • iPhones run on iOS
  • Extra S Pen features on Note 8

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and the Apple iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are totally different when it comes to software. Samsung's device runs on Android and of course offers various S Pen-specific features, while Apple's devices run on iOS.

There are benefits to both software platforms and which you will prefer will come down to personal preference more than anything else. Both have personal assistants, with Samsung offering Bixby and Apple offering Siri and both platforms have a range of features and functions.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 vs Apple iPhone 7 vs iPhone 7 Plus: Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 offers a more futuristic design than the Apple iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, along with a larger and sharper display than both, a slightly higher resolution front camera, microSD support and wireless charging.

The Apple iPhone 7 and 7 Plus have a fingerprint sensor in a more conventional position however, while also offering similar hardware capabilities, seamless integration with other Apple devices and similar camera specs to the Note 8.

Which device you should pick will come down to the software experience you prefer, as well as which design you prefer. It's worth noting however that the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are both about to be replaced so it might be worth waiting a few weeks before you make your decision.