Apple fanatics aren’t the only ones paying attention to the iPhone 14’s debut tomorrow. Samsung—the iPhone’s closest competitor—also found a reason to keep a close eye on Apple’s highly anticipated event. To Samsung, the release of the iPhone 14 represents something special: a marketing opportunity.
On Thursday, the US arm of the multinational technology firm posted on its YouTube channel “Buckle Up | Galaxy S22 Ultra & Z Flip4. At first glance, it’s not particularly attractive, at least to Apple fans; Samsung always posts videos about its products. But pressing play reveals the real purpose of the video. In a voice boasting enough to give Ford’s marketing team a run for its money, the ad spends 30 seconds extolling the features of its two new smartphones… and then tells the viewer that those features aren’t available on the iPhone. “What will they think of next?” The description of the video teases.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra and Z Flip4 have the Flip4’s foldable touch screen and the S22 Ultra’s 108-megapixel camera—two things iPhone buyers won’t find on any Apple smartphone. Samsung’s ad specifically points to the S22 Ultra’s ability to capture relatively detailed images of the moon. Meanwhile, Apple’s sharpest existing smartphone camera is the iPhone 13 Pro Max at just 12 megapixels. While the iPhone 14 is rumored to be a significant improvement over it with a 48-megapixel back camera, there’s no question that Samsung’s ad, while flashy, is true.
But does that even matter? Apple has officially overtaken Android phones to take over 50 percent of the US smartphone market in Q2 2022, reaching a level of success not seen since the iPhone was first launched in 2007. On the iPhone, there are plenty of people willing to sing the praises of their 12-megapixel camera. (Apple’s annual Shot on iPhone challenge, whose winners are featured on Apple’s site and on its 28.1 million-follower Instagram page, probably helps.) Samsung’s ad looks less like friendly banter and more like a desperate attempt to grab a bit of Apple’s spotlight. A.
Samsung isn’t the first to do this. The company previously released videos teasing Apple for ditching the iPhone’s headphone jack and not including charging it with the new phone—two things Samsung eventually did. In fact, Samsung was caught removing those ads from its YouTube page when it stopped supplying the Charging It. Whoops
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