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Samsung airs two new ads mocking the iPhone 12 Pro Max's camera

Samsung once again goes for Apple's throat with two short-but-sharp ads.
By
May 24, 2021
TL;DR
  • Samsung has a new pair of ads aiming at Apple.
  • The two brief spots compare the Galaxy S21 Ultra and iPhone 12 Pro Max camera systems.

Samsung’s no stranger to spewing fire at rival smartphone brands, and its latest marketing campaign takes aim at its nemesis — Apple. A pair of ads recently aired pitting the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra‘s camera chops against the iPhone 12 Pro Max.

The first spot, coming in at just 15 seconds long, highlights the Samsung flagship’s Space Zoom feature. Both phones are pointed at and zoom in on the moon, but the Galaxy S21 Ultra is shown to reach further than the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Samsung’s intent on driving home the Ultra’s 100x digital zoom capabilities versus the iPhone’s 12x digital reach.

Samsung’s second clip also takes aim at the iPhone 12 Pro Max’s shooters with a toasted cheese sandwich as the subject. It pits the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s 108MP shooter against the iPhone’s 12MP camera. Samsung implies its sensor’s higher megapixel count results in a more detailed image.

If these two examples weren’t acidic enough, Samsung goes for the throat with “Your phone upgrade shouldn’t be a downgrade” as the takeaway. Ouch.

Galaxy S21 Ultra vs iPhone 12 Pro Max: Which camera system is better?

A Samsung ad would paint its product in a fairer light. But which phone hosts the better camera array?

Our Robert Triggs recently sat the Galaxy S21 Ultra and the iPhone 12 Pro Max side-by-side in an extensive camera shootout. Ultimately, the Samsung proved the most consistent across multiple scenarios. However, the iPhone wasn’t far behind with more realistic color production and better white balance in some scenes.

This isn’t the first time a Samsung ad has tackled Apple. Samsung’s “Ingenius” series, aired in 2018, mocked Apple’s employees. Samsung also previously criticized Apple for dropping the headphone jack on the iPhone 7 line, too, only to do just that on the Galaxy Note 10 series. While Samsung sheepishly dropped the ads after this debacle, its latest ad pair should age a bit more gracefully. Camera performance is a much better angle of attack for Samsung.

While Samsung may have landed another marketing punch this year, Apple is still better poised to win the fight. Apple was the top-selling smartphone brand in Q4 2020, while the iPhone 12 series remained the most lucrative and best-selling smartphone series on the planet in Q1 2021. That’s a trend likely to continue into the next quarter, too. Even though the Galaxy S21 series is helping Samsung hit record mobile profits, it’s clear that the company still feels a little threatened by its American rival.


What do you think of Samsung’s latest marketing reels? Which phone do you feel has the better camera system? Let us know in the comments below!