New Samsung Galaxy Ad Makes Fun of iPhone X's Notch, Lack of Stylus Support, Dongles, and More

Sunday November 5, 2017 1:57 pm PST by Mitchel Broussard

Samsung today posted a new video on its YouTube channel called "Samsung Galaxy: Growing Up," which follows the life of a young man as he purchases Apple devices over the course of ten years, and then decides to switch sides to Samsung on the eve of the iPhone X launch. The 1-minute commercial features the song "I'm Moving On" by Chyvonne Scott.

The video begins at the iPhone launch in 2007, and subsequent years show the main character facing storage issues when taking a photo and waiting in long lines under poor weather conditions for the latest iPhone. At one point, he drops his iPhone in water and has to place it in a bowl of rice, while his girlfriend's Samsung device continues to function.

Watch on YouTube

Other points made in the ad center around the iPhone's lack of stylus support, as well as its need for dongles after the removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack in the iPhone 7. The ad ends with the character's decision to turn off his iPhone and purchase a Samsung Galaxy smartphone, and he eventually walks past a line of people waiting for the iPhone X -- including a guy with a notch-like haircut -- without joining them.

The latest Samsung smartphone is the Galaxy Note 8, which launched in September with dual rear cameras, a 6.3-inch AMOLED 'Infinity Display', and a new and enhanced S Pen with improved pressure sensitivity. Many publications favorably reviewed the Note 8 prior to its launch, agreeing that the lack of an explosive battery made Samsung's newest device a step up from the Note 7.

Tags: Galaxy Note 8, Samsung

Popular Stories

Samsung Mocks iPhone Duo Display Cracks in New Ad Campaign

Friday October 30, 2026 10:20 am PDT by Juli Clover

Samsung this week launched an advertising campaign mocking the display issues some people have had with the iPhone Duo. In an Instagram post on its Canadian account, Samsung shared several images showing a bright line through the spot where iPhone Duo models have been experiencing display problems. There are three images, each with different text: Folding is nothing new to us Foldi...

• 202 comments

Apple Launching Five New Products Today

Thursday November 5, 2026 12:59 am PST by Tim Hardwick

Apple is launching five new products on Friday, November 6, following pre-orders that opened last week, including its first touchscreen MacBook Pro models. The following new products will be available from today: iPad mini with OLED display and A20 Pro chip iMac with M6 chip 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 chip 14-inch MacBook Pro with OLED touchscreen 16-inch MacBook Pro with OLED...

• 27 comments

More Fun iPhone Duo Apps: 30 New Picks to Try

Friday November 6, 2026 3:27 pm PST by Juli Clover

When the iPhone Duo launched, we shared a list of some of the fun apps developers created for the new form factor. Two weeks out, developers are continuing to come up with fresh ideas, so we thought we'd share some of our favorites. Games Marbles Unhinged ($2.99) - Marbles Unhinged is a marble maze designed for the Duo. When you fold it, the floor turns into a ramp. If you stand the top...

• 54 comments

Top Rated Comments

farewelwilliams

118 months ago

can someone explain how writing down a contact is much better than typing it in?

- you need two hands
- you need a stylus
- looks wildly uncomfortable to write without some palm rest
- unless there's some "google magic" going on, you can't search for that contact (EDIT: yes i know OCR exists, but you need to take extra steps to file it as a contact instead of saving as a note)
- looks unorganized
- much slower to write vs typing
MacRumors content image

Score: 194 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Maclver

118 months ago

At least I can bring my phone on an airplane :rolleyes:

Score: 191 Votes (Like | Disagree)

gusapple

118 months ago

Getting excited for Apple to respond with an ad showing a Note 7 exploding...

Score: 181 Votes (Like | Disagree)

otrfan84128

118 months ago

You'd think companies would have learned by now that ridiculing the competition is not a winning strategy. As an iPhone user, why would I want to switch to a product from a company that has basically told me I'm an idiot for not buying their product I the first place? Nobody ever wins a debate by insulting a competitor. If anything, ads like this make Samsung look as though they are desperately trying to hang onto their existing base rather than expanding it. If they feel their product is superior, as I would expect them to, they should tout its superior features, not try to make people who didn't buy it feel stupid for not doing so. Apple got away with "I'm a Mac ... I'm a PC" because it was genuinely funny, but I'd bet they found that after a while, even that campaign became counterproductive. To win in the marketplace you need a truly superior product and good marketing that PERSUADES, not ridicules.

Score: 121 Votes (Like | Disagree)

v0lume4

118 months ago

Say what you want, but that was an awesome commercial. Tastefully done. I considered buying a Note 8 this year, matter of fact.

The rice thing was so relatable.

edit -- Absolutely no reason to try and defend Apple or Samsung here, fellas. Let's just appreciate tech (and good marketing). :)

Score: 94 Votes (Like | Disagree)