{"id":2069,"date":"2026-09-19T08:35:20","date_gmt":"2026-09-19T08:35:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/09\/19\/samsung-motorola-apple-foldable-ads\/"},"modified":"2026-09-19T08:35:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-19T08:35:20","slug":"samsung-motorola-apple-foldable-ads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/09\/19\/samsung-motorola-apple-foldable-ads\/","title":{"rendered":"Samsung and Motorola lean on Apple\u2019s foldable debut to tout their own experience"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- Quick Adsense WordPress Plugin: http:\/\/quickadsense.com\/ -->\n<div class=\"9fece8afa224fd09e54b043d0febfb58\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- NR ATF -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8898941184964366\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"4839033563\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>When Apple introduced its first foldable handset, the iPhone Duo, on September 9, 2026, two of its biggest rivals were already primed to capitalize on the media buzz. Samsung and Motorola each rolled out advertising that leaned on Apple\u2019s high\u2011profile event to underline their own longer histories in the foldable segment.<\/p>\n<h2>Samsung\u2019s pre\u2011emptive campaign and post\u2011launch digs<\/h2>\n<p>Weeks before Apple\u2019s September event, Samsung placed a series of billboards titled \u201cWelcome to Foldables\u201d in major cities including Seoul, Tokyo and London. The outdoor ads were timed to precede Apple\u2019s announcement by a full week, launching on September 2. The campaign was built around the Galaxy Z Fold8, the latest iteration of Samsung\u2019s foldable line, and highlighted the company\u2019s seven\u2011year track record that began with the original Galaxy Fold in 2019.<\/p>\n<p>During the live Apple launch, Samsung\u2019s U.S. social\u2011media account posted the brief line \u201cSo far, so same.\u201d After the iPhone Duo was revealed, the same account added a tongue\u2011in\u2011cheek invitation: \u201cLet us know when you\u2019re done reheating our leftovers.\u201d The phrasing was a direct reference to Apple\u2019s entry into a market Samsung believes it helped create.<\/p>\n<p>Price comparisons were also part of Samsung\u2019s messaging. In India, the iPhone Duo was priced at Rs\u202f2,99,900, while the Galaxy Z Fold8 started at Rs\u202f1,79,999, giving Samsung a clear cost advantage to showcase alongside its experience claim.<\/p>\n<h2>Motorola joins the conversation<\/h2>\n<p>Motorola\u2019s response arrived in the form of a short video that displayed a range of Razr devices, from the original flip phone to newer models. The clip ended with the line \u201cNew in their hands. Iconic in ours,\u201d positioning the Razr brand as an enduring icon even as Apple entered the foldable arena.<\/p>\n<p>Both Samsung and Motorola used Apple\u2019s launch as a platform to remind consumers that they had been selling foldable phones long before the iPhone Duo\u2019s debut. Samsung\u2019s claim is backed by its eight\u2011generation lineup, while Motorola points to the Razr\u2019s historic status as a pioneering flip phone.<\/p>\n<h2>Market outlook and the broader competitive landscape<\/h2>\n<p>Analyst firm Counterpoint Research projects that by 2026 Samsung will command 38\u202fpercent of global foldable smartphone shipments. Apple, despite being a newcomer to the category, is expected to capture 25\u202fpercent, while Huawei could hold 22\u202fpercent of the market. These figures suggest that early entry does not automatically translate into dominance, especially as the foldable segment remains relatively niche.<\/p>\n<p>In India, the foldable market is projected to ship more than 650,000 units in 2026, representing roughly two to three percent of the overall smartphone market by value. The modest size of the segment means that price differentials, such as the Rs\u202f1.2\u202flakh gap between the iPhone Duo and the Galaxy Z Fold8, can be a decisive factor for price\u2011sensitive consumers.<\/p>\n<h2>Why brands turn to Apple for attention<\/h2>\n<p>Apple\u2019s product launches have historically attracted extensive media coverage and social\u2011media chatter. For rivals, piggybacking on that attention offers a shortcut to reach a broader audience without having to generate the same level of buzz around their own announcements.<\/p>\n<p>Samsung has a long history of using Apple\u2019s events as a springboard for its own marketing. In 2017, the company\u2019s \u201cGrowing Up\u201d campaign mocked the iPhone\u202fX notch, and later ads ridiculed Apple\u2019s removal of the headphone jack and the decision to stop bundling chargers with new iPhones. Other manufacturers have employed similar tactics; Xiaomi, for example, has run ads in India that labeled the iPhone\u202f16\u202fPro\u202fMax camera as \u201ccute\u201d and even used an April\u202fFools\u2019 joke to question the iPhone\u2019s camera performance. In 2025, both Apple and Samsung sent cease\u2011and\u2011desist notices to Xiaomi over campaigns they deemed disparaging.<\/p>\n<h2>Risks of trend\u2011jacking a larger rival<\/h2>\n<p>Industry observers caution that repeatedly leveraging Apple\u2019s popularity can be a double\u2011edged sword. Dilip Cherian, image guru and co\u2011founder of Perfect Relations, described the approach as \u201crisky\u201d and warned that \u201cthe idea of trend jacking your bigger competitor is not for novices.\u201d He added that such tactics may work in the short term but are difficult to sustain.<\/p>\n<p>One risk is that every jab at Apple also reinforces the visibility of the iPhone Duo, inadvertently granting Apple free publicity. Moreover, Samsung\u2019s own history illustrates the perils of mocking a competitor\u2019s product decisions only to adopt the same changes later. The company once ridiculed Apple for removing the headphone jack, then eliminated the jack from its flagship phones. It also mocked Apple\u2019s decision to stop including chargers, only to follow suit in its own line\u2011up.<\/p>\n<p>Because Samsung\u2019s current argument rests on a factual claim\u2014its early entry into foldables\u2014the campaign is harder for Apple to refute. Nevertheless, Cherian believes that \u201cthese are just momentary warrior blips, and it\u2019s unlikely that they will persist beyond a point.\u201d He emphasized that taking on Apple requires \u201ccreative ingenuity combined with massive marketing muscle.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Looking ahead<\/h2>\n<p>The iPhone Duo launch gave Samsung and Motorola a clear opening to remind consumers of their legacy in foldable technology. Whether such attention\u2011grabbing strategies will remain effective once the initial excitement around Apple\u2019s debut fades is uncertain. As the foldable market continues to evolve, the ability of rivals to craft distinct narratives around their own products\u2014rather than relying on Apple\u2019s spotlight\u2014will likely determine long\u2011term brand positioning.<\/p>\n<p>For now, the advertising duel underscores a broader industry truth: while Apple\u2019s events provide a magnet for media and consumer interest, leveraging that magnet comes with strategic trade\u2011offs that can shape the competitive dynamics of emerging smartphone categories.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Samsung and Motorola used Apple\u2019s iPhone Duo launch to remind consumers they\u2019ve been selling foldable phones for years, but experts warn the tactic may not last.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2070,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[299],"tags":[1570,2191,2192,1380,1421],"class_list":["post-2069","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-apple","tag-foldable-smartphones","tag-marketing","tag-motorola","tag-samsung","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2069","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2069"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2069\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2070"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2069"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2069"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2069"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}