The battle between Samsung and Apple is a great example of how competition can drive innovation and growth. Each year, we are witnessing a new generation of smartphones trying to claim their share of customers and gain the company behind it a hefty profit.

Both companies have their own enthusiastic followers who will swear by every single product they release. The two camps actually share many similarities – much more than they would like to admit. We are going to look past these subjective preferences and consider each company solely based on the merit of their product.

Who was the king of 2015?

With 2015 behind us, it’s a great time to pause and consider who ended up claiming the position of a leader.

First Round: Samsung S6 VS iPhone 6

The first round was very interesting one. Samsung S6 was, after a very long time, first amazing smartphone produced by the Korean company. It had the same thickness of 6.9mm as the iPhone 6 and even used the same, high-quality aluminum unibody design.

It was a truly luxurious product that gave fans of iPhone 6 something to think about. That being said, Apple’s offering definitely wasn’t something to be ashamed of – far from it. The iPhone 6 offered excellent software performance, the same familiar user interface and wide application support that fans enjoy, and its camera is still the best one the market.

What tips the scale in Samsung’s favor was the hardware inside. The Galaxy S6 has a large battery, more capable processor, but, most importantly, it features an amazing 2K Super AMOLED display with 577ppi. This display clearly blows Apple out of thewater by offering a truly premium experience with super clear fonts, vivid colors, and deep blacks.

Winner: Samsung

Second Round: Samsung S6 edge+ VS iPhone 6s Plus

The iPhone 6 Plus came with the same aluminum body as the previous model, but its internals were upgraded with ahigh-resolution screen with pressure-sensing capability, and acamera capable of recording HD video at 120 frames per second.

With such a powerful contester, Samsung had to do something extraordinary to get ahead, and they did. The Galaxy S6 edge+ takes what was great about the S6 and makes it even better. The smartphone is 25% lighter than the iPhone, has 7% bigger screen with higher resolution, and features wireless and fast charging technology that still haven’t found its way into Apple’s smartphone.

All of this alone would be enough to gain Samsung the winning spot, but they actually did even more than this. The Edge comes with VR support, which means that it’s an easy choice for everybody who’s enthusiastically waiting to try out what virtual and augmented reality are all about.

Winner: Samsung

Who will rule in 2016?

We hope for Apple’s sake that they have something great prepared for the introduction of iPhone 7. The company has recently reported a decline in sales for the first time in over a decade. This isn’t a great new, given that the launch of Samsung Galaxy S7 is planned on February 21 at MWC 2016.

First rumors suggest that the new device from Samsung should be waterproof and pack a completely new BRITECELL camera, which could provide a superior image quality over iPhone’s otherwise amazing sensor.

As it is, the odds are stacked in Samsung’s favor. It will be interesting to see if this, indeed, happens to be the case through the year, or if Apple will turn things around.