What is a major Apple event if it is not accompanied by snarky ads from Samsung poking fun at it and released onto the internet at around the same time? The Korean company has already trolled Apple for its keynote hiccups, and now it’s back with similar commercials that seem to take hits at Apple products. Samsung released three new ads in this latest round, two for Galaxy phones and the other for the Galaxy Tab S2 tablet.
The first one takes swipes at Apple still not providing wireless charging in its iPhones. In the 30-second clip, Samsung highlights the wireless charging capabilities of its latest phablets, then shows a dead iPhone 6 Plus being placed on its wireless charging pad with no results. The clip ends with the tagline “It’s not a phone, it’s a Galaxy,” which is obviously a play on Apple’s “If it’s not an iPhone, it’s not an iPhone” campaign.
This isn’t the first time that Samsung has suggested Apple users are slaves to power cords. Last year, it released an ad that described iPhoneists as “wall huggers.” This terms was first uttered by BlackBerry CEO John Chen.
The second ad, called Samsung Galaxy – Open to Customization, has Samsung making the case for how its devices can be highly customizable by the user. Strangely enough, unlike the previous ad that focused on a unique Galaxy feature, the commercial doesn’t really highlight any functionality that would be unique to the Galaxy S6 or Galaxy Note 5.
Google’s Android is more open and allows for personalization. “If it doesn’t look like your phone, it’s not your phone,” Samsung says, which again is a poor response to Apple’s “If it’s not an iPhone, it’s not an iPhone” series of TV ads.
These are not the first Samsung ads to mock the iPhone, of course, and they certainly won’t be the last, but Samsung has saved the most bizarre shot for its tablet ad. In it, Samsung keeps insisting that the Galaxy Tab S2 is made for your downtime, somehow implying that either the new Samsung tablet isn’t supposed to be used for work, or that Apple’s iPads – and specifically, the iPad Pro – isn’t built for leisure.
“Downtime is too important to be wasted or forgotten, we need time to escape,” Samsung says. “Elevate your downtime with the Galaxy Tab S2, built with the technology you need to relax.”
While Samsung’s marketing arm is always on the offensive side of the fence, it’s strange how the company has lost a lot of flair in the eye of the consumer lately. For instance, the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge were devices from the South Korean giant that broke the shackles of plastic and dived straight into the world of premium materials, but that didn’t help the company to boost sales at all. In fact, Samsung was forced to cut down the price of its flagship Galaxy devices in order to appeal to the consumer. And if that wasn’t enough panic from the company’s side, Samsung even rushed out and announced the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ way before Apple’s flagships, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.
Check out the ads and try not to roll your eyes.
