Samsung mocks Apple iPhone users in Galaxy S II commercial

Interesting new ad/tactic from Samsung, painting those devoted Apple users who line up from the iPhone 4S as fanboy hipster sheep whose faces are stuck to the blogs -- reading about battery life issues and lack of design changes -- until a giant-screened, 4G powered, Galaxy S II tears them away.

Also interesting that Samsung only focuses on the size of the screen and speed of the radio -- and not at all about the Android operating system that runs it.

Make anyone want to dump their new iPhone for a Galaxy S II?

Source: YouTube via Daring Fireball

Rene Ritchie
Contributor

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.

127 Comments
  • meh... too fake.
  • Funny how other phone vendors mock the company that basically invented the phone design we know today, and invented what their product is based off of. If Apple didn't exist, the majority of the world would probably still be using plastic-keyed flip phones.
  • I love how everyone goes to they copied the design, they don't show android etc instead of commenting on the facts mentioned in the ad. Besides apple didn't invent the smartphone and also didn't invent the slate based touchscreen so stop using that as your only argument against technologically better devices.
  • Heard of the Newton?
    Seen the pre-iPhone Android prototypes?
  • i had a newton! my dad got hit for a work device and decided it was useless (it kinda was) and gave it to me. i just used it for a few games and drawing and such.
  • I don't think they are mocking the company, rather they are mocking the people waiting in line for "the next big thing" when there was really no big change from the 4 to the 4S.
  • This argument is such horse shit! If XEROX didn't exist, Apple wouldn't exist. There. Your logic thrown right back at ya!!
  • Im good with my iPhone... i dont want a Sams**t phone... dumb ad....
  • haha so many iphone users here sound like they took this ad as a stab at their own persona. kinda funny actually. its just a phone... i have an EVO 3D and you can talk all the crap on it you like, but i like it. i like the iphone too. its a classy piece of kit. however, there are certain things the iphone cant do for me so i am sticking with Android. (i like having 4 different keyboard options, 4g, free usb tethering for instance).
  • btw... that commercial was awesome. u are lying to yourself
  • Nice simulated screen images samsung. If design is all you want in a phone, have fun with a good looking piece of poop. Try iOS functionality, ease of use, lack of bugs, and one unified os out.
  • Every one of these mobile OSes contain bugs. Did Apple put together 5.0.1 just because their developers felt like writing more code? Come'on.
  • i used my friend's iphone 4S, the UI can be laggy sometimes. Also my dad has a iphone 4. after upgrading to IO5 his phone was glitchy when using bluetooth. overall im sure it less buggy than Android though. however, i bet a vanilla version of ISC 4.0 will give IOS a run for its money in stability.
  • Sure, on the MAYBE 2 phones that will get a vanilla version not destroyed by their carrier. Sure, until their manufacturer stops supporting their phone with updates in 9 mos...leaving their phone volnerable to future flash viruses, os crashes, app crashes. I sold my first android 3.2 tablet after 3 weeks, b/c it was a waste of good hardware. The ICS reviews I've read left me thinking it would not have made a difference. Webos was better if not for the lack of apps
  • yeah i was a pre - user for 2 years. that thing was awesome once it was all patched up and overclocked. im using Sense 3.0 now and the interface is awesome, i like it a whole lot. it def has its issues, but nothing that would make me want to switch away... after having IOS first (ipod touch right when it came out) then getting and palm pre and then getting an EVO 3D, i have to say it would be difficult going back to having IOS as my phone OS. i really don't like using that big a$$ button, keyboard frustrates me and i love having a 4.3 inch screen... i miss WebOS though. i was dead set on getting a pre 3. but, we know how that turned out...
  • Maybe if Samsung actually made a reliable product. My wife just replaced her Samsung Fascinate for the 4th and final time. She's upgrading to the 4S this weekend.
  • Sure she is...
  • She sure is...
  • yeah the first Galaxy phones were quite iffy, the newer ones are much much better all around.. iphones are better for girls anyhow because generally they have smaller hands. these android phones can be quite large. My EVO 3D is kinda a tank but it fits me fine.
  • umm I want that phone now!
  • Bullshit stupid is what stupid does that is way to childish samsung please grow up, it should be the next slaggish device of android is here!!!!
  • Bullshit stupid is what stupid does that is way to childish samsung please grow up, it should be the next slaggish device of android is here!!!!
  • well they had to use the apple name to at lease get people to be interested in what they have to sell :p
  • Regardless of the iPhone 4S having the same form factor as the iPhone 4, people know I am using the latest model when I thank my phone and it responds...
    "Just doing my job" :)
  • is it that important to you for everyone around you to know that you have the latest smartphone?
  • No not at all, the comment was just a bit of fun.
  • Samshit is pathetic...
  • Galaxy feels like cheep crap. The display has got dodgy auto-brightness and has a "yellow tint" on the left bottom edge. I'll stick with Apple.
  • It's a good ad. It acknowledges that the iPhone is popular and trendy and then puts itself out there as alternative and plays up its strengths.
  • Well thats what samsung is. They just steal designs and mock other people.
  • You have seen "Pirates of Silicon Valley" right?
  • You're referring to the GUI technology that Apple bought from Xerox?
  • It's a good ad. It acknowledges that the iPhone is popular and trendy and then put's itself out there as an alternative and highlights some of it's advantages.
  • What bugs have you encountered while using iOS 5?
  • What bugs have you encountered while using iOS 5?
  • When I look at this Nexus thing, an episode of Shrek is coming to mind when He and the Donkey were looking at the giant castle of the short prince: "Is he compensating for something?" ;)
    So, no matter how big you are, you still have an ugly OS, Sammy! Instead of injecting steroids into the hardware, hire some people with imagination to improve the software.
    320ppi wins, IPS has real colors not oversaturated and eyes hurting sharp contrast!
    Period.
  • As usual rene u are late with iphone news by atleast 2 days. Stick to ur day job.. Oh wait... Awkwarddd.
  • Wow. Did you really think that was funny?
  • Quality, design, research offer Apple. Not Samsung,
  • Making Apple look stupid is one thing but making Apple users look stupid is just stupid. Do they really think that Apple users will switch to the company that ridicules them?
  • well they are pretty stupid .... soo........ ya.
  • You would have to be a pretty big idiot to sit around talking to the stupid.
  • Love the irony of calling someone an idiot for "responding to the stupid" in a post that is a response to "a pretty big idiot".
  • stupid in general no... stupid about mobile tech, YES!... dude i was at a party 2 weeks ago. i pull out my phone (EVO 3D) cuz i got a text and someone there who was an iphone user sees and and says to me, "my phone sh*ts on yours" outta nowhere! he had a 3g S! i am like you have nooo idea what u are taking about bro. that phone came out 2 years b4 mine did. he had no reasoning AT ALL except for that fact his phone with an iphone for telling me that. after a 1 minute demonstration i had him walking away with his tail between his legs
  • hah, nice
  • Pretty sure they don't care about the iPhone user base. They're targeting the "dumbphone" users, which at this point is larger than iPhone and Android market share combined.
  • Pretty sure they don't care about the iPhone user base. They're targeting the "dumbphone" users, which at this point is larger than iPhone and Android market share combined.
  • People know the quality of samsung phones and the quality of android apps.
    They also know the quality of iPhone,iOS,app store....
    That is why they stand in the line for long hours to get the new iPhone...
  • But Apple showed us how the smart phone is to be in the present world....later every fucker copied it shameless idiots
  • Hahaha. "Dude, you're a barista."
    Awesome.
  • How do attention whores get people to notice their phones? I alternate between high end Sprint phones and no one notices a damn thing. I need some attention whore tips.
  • So am I supposed to want that phone because its bigger and easier to buy? I'm not having any battery issues and if I want a big screen I have an iPad! Time will tell which phone will be more successful.
  • Given the time and release and required R&D the phones had to be running simultaneously (which is why LG never sued). Both were released in 2007.
  • I thought it was clever and funny. Take something silly about the competition (or it's users), blow it a bit out of proportion and use that to drive home a point about your product being better. Many iPhone users DO stand in line for hours (sometimes days) waiting for a new iPhone. Many of them DO look silly and there really isn't much sensible logic to the whole mess. It's not true for every single case, but it's real enough to be recognized by most people watching the commercial.
    It's very similar to the "I'm a Mac. I'm a PC." commercials. Many PCs DO have security issues. Many PC users ARE frustrated with the PC experience. It's not true for every case but real enough for the commercial to have an effect. I thought those commercials were clever and funny as well.
    If this were an Apple commercial people here would be celebrating its genius while the folks at AndroidCentral would be up in arms. Fans are like that.
    ...anyway...great commercial.
  • Those ads didn't insult the end user as these ads do.
  • Those ads didn't insult the end user.
  • Actually, they did.
  • No, they didn't. As a Windows user I found the ads funny, but certainly not offensive. The ads attacked Windows Vista for being junk (which it was), but the commercials were light hearted and didn't ever actually attack or insult the end user.
  • epic
  • Honestly, I've seen one in person and was not "amazed" or fascinated not one bit. Why? It was running Gingerbread and all you have to do is wait for the eventual lag to come, and believe me, it will. So it has a bigger screen and battery sucking 4G. I've got unlimited data on 3G and that fills my needs just fine. Not only does my iPhone 4S not lag, I wouldn't even know how many applications are running at the same time if I didn't check. No lag. No battery life problem, it just works. Screw Samsung. Screw Android. When was the last time you saw anyone standing in line to buy anything from Samsung, or anyone else, for that matter? There's a reason for that. :-)
  • Two lonely outcasts holding off brand phones, showing up hundreds with iPhones? Yeah... sure, Samsung (rolls eyes).
  • I got one thing to say... Apple, it just works! I have friends that bought the Samsun and it was one complaint after another. They went on to the NEW iPhone 4s and are happier than ever with the fact that it JUST WORKS! My battery life is great as well. From 5am to 11pm I'm at 28 to 30 percent at the end of the day. I think thats great.
  • No buttons for dialing on the device, everything was on a glass capacitive touchscreen with icons that opened apps for dialer, contacts, calendar etc.
    Sounds familiar?
  • Funny, I see plenty of buttons on the LG Prada.
  • The Galaxy S II is a piece of plastic junk. I would never dump my iPhone 4S or stop using Apples eco system for the SGSII.
  • Umm have you seen this vid on youtube? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elKxgsrJFhw cheap that.
  • It truly shows Samsung copies what Apple does and has no innovation of their own. That's why they continue to take Apple to court because they accuse Apple of copying their products, and they try so hard but loses in court. Why buy something from Samsung when you can get the real thing from Apple.
  • Doesn't anyone know that Apple has copied just as mush from other companies. Look at Xerox, Apple should have lost that lawsuit. Apple has copied / stolen just as much as any other company. The difference between Apple and any other tech firm is that people believe Apple’s corporate propaganda.
  • Apple bought the technology from Xerox. It was also barely developed. I appreciate that you're trying to paint an anti-Apple narrative, but you need to read up on the history a little bit.
  • Good ad, lol......On a side note this also reminds me how awful the AT&T ads against Verizon were.
  • hahaha, that made me laugh!
    pretty good advert but i'll stick to my white iPhone 4s thank you very much, ha
    and what's with everyone wanting such a big screen? it looks like an absolute brick!
  • I am all Apple, and am fine with the 'roast', I represent a lot of it. I also believe in God, which is also easy to mock. Guess you gotta believe passionately in something, or what's the point...
  • I rarely read every comment but these were as laughable as this commercial. Great way to start my day. :-)
    I thought the commercial was a good depiction of the iphone craze, which is what they targeted...not the users themselves, done in a very funny way.
    No, it won't make you switch but it may make someone change their holiday choice.
  • Samsung only proved that their customers are lonely outcasts and misfits with no friends.
    They wrap their children's gifts in newspaper, place them inside white sweat socks hung from the fireplace, and tell them "it's kinda like an iPhone" when they see their sad, little, disappointed faces.
  • Wow. That's a lot of bologna there sir. :)
  • "Wow. That's a lot of bologna there sir. :)"
    Well, someone here's gotta do it. ;-)
  • Haha...true, true. :-)
  • I rarely read every comment but these were as laughable as this commercial. Great way to start my day. :-)
    I thought the commercial was a good depiction of the iphone craze, which is what they targeted...not the users themselves, done in a very funny way.
    No, it won't make you switch but it may make someone change their holiday choice.
  • Hahaha! I liked the ad. But to be fair, I bought a 27inch iMac right when the 4S came out. I walked out of the Apple store, past the long 4S line yelling, "Siri, show me the weather" into my iMac box (while holding it to my head) just to freak them out.
    But then again, I already had the 4S mailed to me painlessly from ATT.
    If you buy your phones for status (like the ad suggests), then yes- a Galaxy SII may be just the accessory you need.
  • That was funny. "I would never switch I'm creative"
  • Yeah, that was a good one. :-)
  • Yeah, that was a good one. :-)
  • no way am I going to go to samsung anything.
  • you mad bro?... if you got any more defensive the Cowboys might draft you next season
  • Too bad the Galaxy is actual a pile
  • i am sry but your logic is weak. why should they not be compared? car companies compare to their competition in their commercials allll theee time. when you go to a store to buy a phone you go there to make comparisons between the phones that are there. why cant Sammy do it in their commercial.? i thought this was an awesome ad. i laughed. the acting was natural and situation was real.
  • Logic??? Are you comparing marketing advertisements between $600-$700 mobile phones to $20,000-$30,000 vehicles? Get real, when have you seen a line at the Ford or BMW dealer to buy a car? The only time I saw a line at dealer was in the comedy movie "The Goods". That's a desperate move from Sammy, the iPhone family is taking money from their "hardware" market so they will try anything to gain that market back. This tactic will hurt Sammy and I guarantee it wont last long on the air.
  • True. I think that's the second definition of "fanboy" in Webster. :)
  • I don't get why people get so worked up over this stuff. Who made this first and who made that first... What matters in the end is what works best for you. I had a palm pre... I went to an HTC Evo... and now I have an iPhone 4S. They all have things I like and things I don't. Everyone is different and likes different things. Just be happy with your purchase and stuff like this wouldn't even matter.
  • I have used iPhone and Android for several years and both are great for their own reason.
    They are both buggy at some point, they both copied from each other (sorry iFans, this is true even in iOS5).
    Apple's approach is by limiting and controlling everything that may not run 100%, which then makes their phone look like an "it just works" phone.
    Android's approach is by being more open which makes it a lot more appealing to geeks. This allows for more freedom with apps and therefore sometimes more bugs. Plus if developers are not careful, their apps may not work in all phones.
    They are both good but different.
    If you like your phone to say hi to you and to be the latest fashion accessory then get a white iPhone.... and then a double decaf latte to wait 9 days outside the Apple Store
    If you want your phone to say: I have a higher IQ than Einstein, my message was received at the International Space Station and I don't have a girlfriend, then get an Android.
    For the rest of us, we have a choice... we can just select the one that fits our needs.
    What I find extremely amusing is how some people defend Apple religiously in a cult-like way.
    Its a phone! From a company that wants your money. Same as any other company.
  • Bravo. lol
  • John, for an iPhone hater you really enjoy commenting on iPhone message boards...
  • Who says I'm a hater? I suggested the iPhone 4S to my mom (on AT&T w/ a feature phone). I bought my wife an iPad, son has a XOOM, daughter a Nook Color, and me a Galaxy Tab 10.1.
    Find one comment where I am "hating" on the iPhone. You won't.
    Oh and I started coming around this blog in '08 when I bought my iPhone 3G. Since I left it for Android in '10 does that mean I have to leave the blog?
  • @stewm
    Thx and yep. A device for everyone and this is not a House of Gates where Apple devices aren't allowed.
  • thank you, sir
  • I find it amusing that you wrote a small paper comparing the two. Seems like you are the one that really cares...
  • Rarely seen that level of argumentation out here!
    Thank you Sir!
  • Prada was '06. iPhone was '07.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGPrada(KE850)
  • No it wasnt sold until 2007 after the iPhone came out. The iPhone was in development log before and launched summer 2007. The leg phone appeared in December 2006 but wasn't ready till late 2007.
  • No sir. It launched Q1 of '07. iPhone launched Q2 of '07.
    http://news.softpedia.com/news/LG-Prada-039-s-Launch-Date-Is-Confirmed-4...http://money.cnn.com/2007/03/08/magazines/business2/touch_screens.biz2/i...
    They released a gold [color] version in August of '07.
  • The iPhone was in development for at least two years, possibly up to five years before it was released. Your timeline is wrong.
  • :-D
    My timeliness is wrong how? The release dates are from Google. Search for yourself.
    Start date doesn't matter. Launch date does.
  • "Start date doesn't matter. Launch date does."
    Like I said, you're confused.
  • Sure. Ok. :)
    I'm sure that's why part of the "Android copied iPhone" argument hinges on Apple launching first even though Android started before iOS. By your logic, that part of the argument is invalid. :-/
    Google is your friend...search for yourself.
  • the iphone is a direct competitor to the galaxy s 2. how is it not relevant to compare them?.. this commercial was right on point btw
  • It's a decent commercial, but I don't think you win Apple customers by insulting them. You insinuate that they're sheepish, and then you want to lead them away to Android (like sheep)? Hmm...
    Anyway Android was a little too busy the last time I evaluated one. I just switched from an HP Pre Plus on AT&T to an iPhone 4S so my screen is already bigger. If I need a bigger screen, I use my iPad2. As the iPad 2 is my Apple entry device, I'm cool with Apple. My 4S just makes Apple cooler.iCloud, SIRI, iTunes, App Store, News Stand all come with the 4S. As a sales professional, I appreciate getting the whole package when I buy 1 product.
  • Haha...good one. :-D
  • Making fun of the iPhone is one thing but to make fun of the customer although funny is not a smart move
  • Not sure what Bilboteabagins is talking about... Microsoft's Market cap is currently $144B below Apple's and on the Fortune 500 Apple is ranked 3 spots higher than Microsoft with 3 billion more in annual revenue. Also, from any data that I could find, Apple has more cash on hand than Microsoft. Not sure where the 1000% number is coming from or how Microsoft has benefited in the long run over Apple. By all metrics that I can see Microsoft is doing worse in all areas than Apple.
  • The comment was only a bit of fun :)
    I hardly ever use Siri in public, if ever!
  • I have the iPhone 4 still, and still don't want to make the switch to the Samsung Galaxy. I'm quite content with the screen size of my phone.
  • Yep. I thought they were funny. (I'm a Windows user.) But the commercials never insulted the end user. Watch them again I'm sure you can find them on YouTube. While Apple poked fun at Windows Vista (which was a garbage OS version), they never actually insulted the end user.
  • Apple didn't target PC users directly but there is something to be said about seeing your chosen OS made to look like a buffoon. It was an indirect knock on PC users, IMO. At least that's how I felt when I was a PC user [at the time of the first run of commercials; not any longer].
  • That's true. I think the issue with these ads is that they directly attack iPhone owners. It would be one thing if Samsung attacked iOS as being closed or something, but they're actually directly attacking iPhone users. I think that's crossing a line.
  • Very true. It does go directly after customers.
  • There's a subtle but notable difference between a derivative and a copy. I think you're smart enough to figure out the difference.
  • That's a bold claim, considering how bad Vista was. I hope for Apple's sake you're wrong!
  • All's fair in love and war, as the old saying goes.
    Worth a shot, I guess, if Apple can have a 'Get a Mac' campaign., then why can't anyone else?
    Not enough to make me consider switching, but I guess, I'm not their target.
    Bottom line, is that no-one lines up for a Samsung product, no matter how good it may be, which must piss Samsung off immensely.
    Every company would love to have a piece of that emotive mindshare.
  • Windows Phone 7 is pretty good. That combined with Nokia's design/quality is the only thing that could attract me away from iPhone. Android is utter rubbish.
  • This commercial makes the iPhone look like a joke compared with the GSII, and it shows how apple fan-boys are crazy about a "new" iPhone and don't see other new devices that have surpassed the iPhone long ago.
  • android OEMs cant win for losing at this site lol. when they focus on specs, they're stupid, and when they focus on experience (as above), its "interesting".
  • I cannot live without IPhone. It totally changed my life. As an international student in the US, FaceTime enables me to see and talk to my parents in China. I can show them how great this country looks. They might not be here with me, but I feel we are still together. Sure there is a front facing camera in some other million android phones, they just don't work very well.
    IMessenger let me text my fiancee for free. Sure there are whatsapp or talk box apps out there, even in Android, the loading time is just too long.
    Huge screen is certainly a nice thing, but guess what, when I saw my friend made a phone call with his precious Galaxy S, I thought he was holding a tablet. A phone is a phone. If you need a big screen, why not buy a real tablet?
    The specs of an android phone is getting ridiculous. But why i can still feel lags when I scroll the contacts on an android phone. It just feels so....mechanical.
    Having faith or being loyal to a company is in fact a good thing. There are always something that I can look forward to.
    Sorry for my broken English. It is the first time to post here. I just want to say "thank you" to Apple, sincerely.
  • I appreciate Apple ads because they show you exactly what the device can do. And when you buy it, it actually does that impressive featured function that you saw in the commercial. Android commercials always has some crazy $#!+ going on, like you grab a Galaxy tab then you morph inside some weird spaceship pod to play a video game, or you're in a business meeting and your arms turn into robot arms. They never show off the cool things that an Android can do (Droid has just as many impressive features as Apple). I want to see that the thing can do...not some fantasy stuff. This commercial was very clever and at the same time counter productive. From a marketing stand point, it screams desperation. It's a money ploy...I can see the approval meeting to review this commercial for release...."how do we get rid of those apple waiting lines". I for one like the long apple lines...you meet interesting people (devs, heavy users) that know a lot about apple products that can share tips and experiences. Samsung, show me what you can do and then you might grab my attention.
  • The difference, of course, is that the Mac v. PC ads didn't attack Windows users - just the Windows Vista operating system. This ad actually explicitly attacks iPhone owners (who are also potential Samsung customers). That's why it's done in poor taste.
  • The S II is not a 'little' faster than the 4s. I am in a Atlanta. I tested the Atrix, iPhone 4, iPhone 4s and the Galaxy S II Skyrocket network speeds.
    iPhone 4 on 3g = 2.5 Mbps
    iAtrix on HSPA = 6 Mbps
    iPhone 4s = 4 Mbs
    Galaxy SII Skyrocket (LTE) = 45 Mbps (yes, 45!)
    we tested this more than a dozen times in different places. Performance shows it to. For example, you tap the Netflix App and you can have a show running onscreen as quick as you can tap the buttons. Don't tell me you can do this on the iPhone. I've got several and know it's not true.
  • Apple may have pioneer and revolutionize the products, but Android definitely evolve and improve in every aspects.
  • Apple may have pioneer and revolutionize the products, but Android definitely evolve and improve in every aspects.