What just happened? Samsung has joined Microsoft and Intel in creating a series of ads that mock Apple’s products. In the Korean giant’s campaign, the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s camera setup and features are hailed as superior to the iPhone 12 Pro Max’s capabilities.
One of the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s most talked-about features is its 100x Space Zoom. The iPhone 12 Pro Max, by comparison, has a maximum 12x digital zoom. Samsung highlights the difference between the two cameras in the first ad (top) by zooming in on the moon. As you would expect, the Galaxy gets a lot closer.
The next ad illustrates how the Galaxy Ultra’s 108 MP main sensor can capture more detail than its rival’s 12MP lens. A tasty-looking toasted cheese sandwich is used as the subject matter, revealing the “pin-sharp details” captured by Samsung’s handset, while the iPhone isn’t quite as detailed.
The final promo compares the Galaxy’s Single Take feature to the iPhone’s Live Photo. In the case of the former, it can capture 14 different individual compositions (best shot, slo-mo, filtered shots, etc.) from video clips lasting between 5 and 15 seconds. Apple Live Photo, meanwhile, captures a 3-second moving image of a picture.
Each of Samsung’s ads finishes with the tagline “Your phone upgrade shouldn’t be a downgrade.”
Apple has long been a target in other companies’ ads. This year saw Intel bring back the “I’m a Mac” actor Justin Long for a series of M1-mocking commercials, while Microsoft disparaged the iPad in its Surface Pro 7 ads.