Paul Jones / Android Authority
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TL;DR
A Samsung-sponsored Instagram video mocks Apple’s iPhone Duo using a sliced apple and a cheeky foldable comparison.
The ad highlights the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s slimmer, lighter design, sparking fresh Samsung-versus-Apple banter online.
The mockery comes as Apple’s first foldable faces early reports of cracked screens and durability concerns.
Apple’s first foldable iPhone is already cracking under pressure, quite literally, and Samsung isn’t about to let a perfectly good opportunity for some trolling go to waste. With the iPhone Duo facing early reports of cracked displays, a Samsung-sponsored video is adding salt to the wound, or perhaps squeezing lemon juice into it. Only this time, the fruit of choice is an apple.
The Instagram video, shared last week as a paid partnership with Samsung, shows a green apple sliced in half. The halves attempt to fold together before Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 enters the picture, boasting a slimmer, lighter design.
The ad pulls no punches, declaring the Fold 8 1.6mm thinner and 53g lighter than Apple’s newcomer before delivering its closing jab: “Years ahead in Foldables.”
Just in case Samsung decides to take down the ad, here’s what they posted:
Naturally, the internet has opinions. Some users are loving the banter, while others find Samsung’s approach childish. But that’s practically the point of these ads. They’re made for the smartphone rivalry crowd, where brand loyalty runs deep, and every punchline earns either applause or an eye-roll.
The timing makes this latest jab particularly spicy. Beyond launch-day cracking reports, durability tests have raised further concerns about the iPhone Duo’s display and hinge. Some are already calling the controversy “crackgate,” although it’s too early to establish a widespread defect.
Has the iPhone Duo’s early durability issues put you off buying one?
732 votes
Yes, it completely ruins my confidence in the device.
36%
Yes, but only for this first-generation version.
13%
I wouldn’t have bought one anyway.
31%
No, I’m sure Apple will fix the problems.
7%
I wouldn’t buy a foldable phone in any case.
12%
Something else (mention in comments).
1%
For Samsung fans, that’s fresh ammunition. For Apple, it’s an uncomfortable welcome to the foldable club. And for everyone else? Just another episode of smartphone brands behaving like rival soccer fans.