Apple vs. Samsung—how the smartphone marketing battle is shifting toward AI

Brand Battles profiles competing brands and the ways they are going to market, including marketing, media and agency strategies. Read previous installments here. Despite tech’s breakneck advancement—including the recent rush to embrace AI—smartphones look and feel much the same as they have for years. Samsung and Apple continue to battle for global dominance, but both companies have contended with stagnant hardware development. “A meteor hit the earth in 2007 (when the first iPhone was released) and changed everything about mobile technology,” said an agency exec who has worked closely with several companies in the smartphone space and spoke on the condition of anonymity. “The dust settled a long time ago and people recognize that smartphones have largely stagnated. Even the companies will admit that we’re mostly making small-step changes in the technology.” Apple’s newest iPhone focuses on affordability. The 16e—which was revealed on Wednesday—shares much in common with the iPhone 16 released in September, minus some features such as sophisticated camera controls. The slimmed-down phone has a starting price tag of $599, compared with $799 for the regular iPhone 16, as Apple seeks to entice more budget-friendly shoppers after its holiday sales lagged. When Apple released the iPhone 16, reviewers noted some improvements to the camera compared to the iPhone 15 but aimed most of their praise toward AI-powered software. On Jan. 22, Samsung unveiled its new Galaxy S25 phone at its Galaxy Unpacked event. Last week, tech trades and creators released their reviews and formed some consensus—apart from minor upgrades, it’s very similar to its predecessors. AI marketing blog How brands are using ChatGPT, DALL-E 2 and other tools Read more here Samsung and Apple, the global leaders in smartphone sales, each saw around a 1% decline year-over-year in smartphone shipments last year, according to preliminary data released in January from the International Data Corporation (IDC), which cited the “super aggressive growth of Chinese vendors” as a reason for the two brands’ declines. Apple shipped 232 million smartphones compared to Samsung’s 223 million in 2024—resulting in a market share difference of less than 1%, according to IDC data. That gap widens in the U.S., where Apple enjoyed 53% market share compared to Samsung’s 23% in the third quarter of 2024, according to the most recent data published by Counterpoint Research. Apple has historically dominated the U.S. as new and current iPhone users continue to purchase Apple devices, said Sam Huston, senior VP of media at Dept, an agency that specializes in tech and digital marketing. “Oftentimes, the first device kids are going to get is an iPad or an Apple Watch because parents want to track their kids,” he said. “They know the Apple ecosystem, so that’s giving them an edge as we look to the future because once they’re in that ecosystem, it’s very hard to pull someone out.” Also read: Apple is the world’s most valuable brand And: Samsung is one of the world’s largest advertisers As smartphone hardware innovation tops out, Samsung and Apple must rely more on marketing software and AI developments to increase consumer interest in their latest flagship devices. However, finding relevant use cases for AI features has been a challenge. “The trend for the next year is going to be the AI battles and how manufacturers are weaving AI in really compelling use cases that users care about, which has been tricky so far,” the anonymous agency exec said. “But it’s going to really heat up over the next year.” Below, a closer look at how Apple and Samsung are marketing their newest phones, including how creators might take on a more important role. Samsung declined to comment for this story. Apple did not respond to requests for comment. Why big hardware developments haven’t caught on Most smartphone hardware developments come in the form of slight improvements on existing tech: a better camera, bigger battery or smaller bezels. One of the more drastic changes to form factor has come in foldable phones. Samsung released its first foldable smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Fold, in 2019. Apple, meanwhile, is rumored to be working on its first folding device called the iPhone Flip. From 2022: Samsung’s folding billboards promote its folding phones But foldables haven’t found their way into the mainstream due to high price tags and most consumers not seeing a clear need for the folding function, said Allison Johnson, smartphone reviewer at The Verge. Samsung’s latest folding device, the Galaxy Z Fold6, retails at $1,900. Its Galaxy Z Flip6, modeled after old flip phones, retails at $1,100. At its Unpacked event at the Louvre in July, Samsung released ads promoting both devices. One spot depicts a detective investigating a plane full of people—one of whom he believes has stolen the phones. As he questions each suspect, he highlights various features he believes give them a motive. The ad showcases processing power, the ability to take selfies with a rear camera, a language translation tool, durability upgrades, a note-taking assistant and the ability to search for objects within an image by circling them. Samsung also released instructional videos on its YouTube channel explaining how to use each Z-series feature. Despite its efforts, consumers still haven’t embraced foldables. Samsung’s 2024 Z series, released in July, has underperformed compared to the series released the year prior, according to a January report from technology website Android Police referencing an X post from a leaker. The manufacturer plans to produce fewer foldables this year, according to a report from Korean outlet ETNews. Apple and Samsung are poised to battle on a different hardware front with both expected to release ultra-slim phones this year: the iPhone Air and Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge. How Apple and Samsung’s smartphone marketing strategies differ The rivals’ phone businesses are led by marketers with vastly different tenures at their respective companies. Overseeing the iPhone is Greg Joswiak, senior VP of worldwide marketing at Apple, who joined the company in 1986. Meanwhile, Olga Suvorova joined Samsung as chief marketing officer of mobile experiences in January 2024. She stepped in for former CMO Janet Lee and previously spent more than a decade at Google, including as global head of brand marketing, strategy and creative for Google Chrome and Chromebook. Both companies have emphasized AI features to market their latest phones, with the largest marketing pushes coming around keynote events unveiling new products. Apple during its “Glowtime” event in September released its first ads for its AI system, Apple Intelligence, running on the iPhone 16. Actor Bella Ramsey starred in three spots in which she uses the software to summarize an email, remember a person’s name and create a video in remembrance of a family fish that died. It released more ads a month later—one showing an incompetent worker generating an email to his boss and another depicting a mother quickly creating a video compilation when she realizes she’s forgotten to get her husband a birthday gift. The latter taps into Apple’s tradition of weaving emotion into iPhone ads. The ads were created by TBWA\Media Arts Lab, a bespoke unit created specifically for Apple in 2006. TBWA worked with Apple as far back as 1984, when it helped launch Apple’s first Macintosh personal computer. “Apple’s done a great job on the emotional side,” said Dept’s Huston. “If you think about their ads where they’re leaning into the camera and the ability to edit films like movies and share those out, the emotional benefit of being able to do that is powerful.” Apple has struggled to bring that emotion to its Apple Intelligence marketing, however. Reception to the birthday gift ad was mixed, with some stating it exemplified the difficulty tech brands have finding helpful use cases for their AI software. More: Google Gemini AI error in ad reveals AI marketing risks Meanwhile, Samsung released ads for Galaxy AI and the S25 at its Galaxy Unpacked 2025 event in January. A spot building on its long-running “Next Big Thing” campaign, which has promoted Galaxy AI as of late under the name “The Next Big Thing Is You,” shows a woman using Galaxy AI on her phone to see her itinerary for the day and create plans with old friends as she navigates a busy transit hub. The ad came from BBH Singapore and Leo Burnett Germany. BBH has been on Samsung’s global roster since 2014. Samsung also has a history of attacking Apple’s ability to innovate. In a November spot, iPhone users wait in line to upgrade to the newest phone only to question what’s new once they get it. A Samsung user then walks by while multitasking on her folding phone. The ad also shows people translating a conversation with a fruit vendor using a Samsung flip phone, only to walk away once they learn he only sells apples. Given Apple’s dominance in the U.S. and Samsung’s struggles to get consumers interested in its hardware innovations, some experts question this strategy. “You could see how that could backfire,” Huston said. “When you mock, you’re defining yourself against something and not what you’re for. That’s going to resonate with people that hate Apple already and not necessarily convert people.” How much do Apple and Samsung spend advertising their phones in the U.S.? Samsung has outspent Apple on phone advertising in the U.S. for most of the past five years. Between January and September last year, Samsung spent $254 million in U.S. measured media on its Galaxy phones compared to Apple’s $202 million on the iPhone during the same period, according to MediaRadar data compiled by Ad Age Datacenter. Apple does not report worldwide ad spending. Apple outspent Samsung in 2023, however. It spent $317 million that year compared to Samsung’s $249 million. Apple iPhone (U.S. measured media) Dollars in millions Year Spend 2020 $243 2021 320 2022 259 2023 317 2024 (Q1-Q3) 202 MediaRadar Samsung Galaxy wireless phones (U.S. measured media) Dollars in millions Year Spend 2020 $295 2021 569 2022 476 2023 249 2024 (Q1-Q3) 254 Creators could propel both brands in the AI race Apple and Samsung have both struggled to find and show consumers daily use cases for the AI tools that power their phones, despite releasing educational YouTube videos explaining how these tools work. “They’re trying to catch people up to what these things are supposed to do and they’re not tools we currently use so they’re trying to build some habits,” The Verge’s Johnson said. “It’s an awkward spot for them all to be in.” As they continue to look for relevancy, they can tap creators for knowledge on how consumers currently use AI and have creators explain use cases to their followers, said Kassi Socha, director and marketing analyst at Gartner. “Companies in the consumer electronic industry that lean into external voices talking about the use cases of their products will win out,” she said. “I’m talking about the voice of the influencer and the reviewer. No one knows consumer use cases or consumer perception better than a content creator focused on answering questions and making recommendations to guide consumers.” Both Samsung and Apple have recently recruited creators to highlight specific features within their respective smartphones. The only videos on Apple’s TikTok page are creators offering tips on using various iPhone tools, mostly related to its camera. Samsung has worked with creators to promote Galaxy AI features such as cross-app functionality. @samsungus Can’t upgrade your hubby? No problem — upgrade your phone like @hammybanks instead.😉 Get the new #GalaxyS25 Series with #GalaxyAI ♬ original sound - SamsungUS

Apple vs. Samsung—how the smartphone marketing battle is shifting toward AI

Featured Stories