Phil Schiller, Senior Vice President at Apple, Inc. speaks about the iPhone 6 during an Apple event at the Flint Center in Cupertino, California, September 9, 2014.
Phil Schiller, Senior Vice President at Apple, Inc. speaks about the iPhone 6 during an Apple event at the Flint Center in Cupertino, California, September 9, 2014. REUTERS/Stephen Lam

Apple's much awaited press event revealed two flagship phones: the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus. The arrival of the iPhone 6 Plus puts Apple in direct competition with other phablets in the market. Whereas the company held its ground against bigger screens with its 4-inch iPhone series, the new option gives Apple a direct approach to the phablet sector. This also puts the iPhone 6 series against competitors like the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the HTC One M8. How does Apple's flagship line compare against these existing players?

Design and Screen

Apple have always focused on premium design and most analyst agree including tech site Tech Radar about the company's engineering on the new flagship. The iPhone 6 series can attract and convince enough people that dropping $600/£500/AU$800 for starts is worth it. The rounded edges are nothing new because of the iPhone 3GS. Nonetheless, Apple brings something new to the table like a larger screen and extremely thin build. Apple did claim the series is the thinnest yet with the iPhone 6 measuring 6.9mma and the iPhone 6 Plus at 7.1mm.

As many agreed, the Samsung Galaxy S5 design is just right but it does not offer the premium feel that many expected. Apple's design trumps the Samsung Galaxy S5 because it is not made of plastic chassis. Other analysts have commented that HTC and Sony both did a better job on their handphones than Samsung Galaxy S5's design.

Samsung takes over when it comes to the screen. The Galaxy S5 offer a darker but also brighter approach compared to other competitors especially with color. The 5.1-inch device offers a full HD display with 1920 x 1080 pixels and a pixel density of 432 ppi. It has Corning Gorilla Glass for added durability.

Apple's iPhone 6 has lower resolution with 1334 x 750 pixels at 326 ppi while the iPhone 6 catches up with 1920 x 1080 pixels and 432 ppi. The HTC One M8, on other hand, is on the same playing ground with 5-inch panel at 1920 × 1080 plus 441ppi. It also offers a similar premium feel that puts it ahead of its Android relative, Samsung Galaxy S5. It comes with a brushed metal design.

Camera

Apple differentiates its product truly with the series camera. Many analysts have also praised the new camera system on the iPhone 6 flagship marking a new standard for handsets. Samsung Galaxy S5's primary camera comes with 16MP f/2.2 ISOCELL sensor including a selective focus and Phase Defect autofocus. The goal is to offer to images similar to the quality taken by an SLR. Selective focus can be incredibly slow that users have to compromise. The image sensor and autofocus do offer excellent quality.

According to Extreme Tech, the camera is one aspect that iPhone 6 Plus will have advantage over the HTC One M8 and perhaps every other Android competitor out there. Apple's iPhone 6 camera comes with an all new "iSight Sensor" featuring 8MP as well as "focus pixels" according to Apple. This provides phase-detection autofocus. Wired also noted that the new iPhone 6 camera can possibly change filmmaking. It is revolutionary in its own way. Apple's Phil Schiller explained that that iPhone 6 series offers technology used by high-end DSLRs." The camera can capture 1080p HD clips at 60fps. It can also take slow motion shots at 240fps. The HTC One M8 has larger pixels and also depth sensor ideal for 3D images. However, it does not offer good color reproduction.

Apple's new iPhone 6 series will hit stores next week.