They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but many in the tech media, YouTubers, and even some Samsung fans seem to think that the electronics giant took it a bit too far this time.
On Wednesday, Samsung made a big Galaxy Unpacked Event Samsung has announced a number of new products, including smartphones, smartwatches, and earphones. samsung galaxy ring Health-focused wearables.
But those who watched the event via livestream couldn’t help but notice that some of the headline new products looked a little too similar to Apple products.
Samsung criticized for “copying” Apple
Social media users also offered other criticisms of products announced at this year’s Unpacked, lamenting the lack of significant updates to the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, for example.
But a common thread running through a variety of analyses by consumers, critics and journalists is that Samsung appears to be trying to “replicate” Apple’s products.
The tweet may have been deleted
“Today was a big defeat for Samsung.” Said YouTuber Quinn Nelson of Snazzy Labs, a tech review channel with over 1 million subscribers. “The Watch Ultra is the most shameless copy of an Apple product in years, and it’s pretty ugly.”
“But wait, here’s something even more shameless,” the YouTuber continued on his X account @SnazzyLabs. “The Buds 3 and Buds 3 Pro are AirPods clones.”
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Nelson is referring to Samsung’s new smartwatch, the Galaxy Watch Ultra, and its new line of earphones, the Galaxy Buds 3. Samsung has obviously released these two products to compete with Apple’s Apple Watch Ultra and its Airpods line. But for many, the similarities between the two go beyond competition and into the realm of imitation.
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“Copy and paste,” Posts X’s Apple Hub account, which has nearly 1 million followers, posted photos of Samsung’s new smartwatch and earbuds side-by-side with Apple’s versions.
Looking at Samsung and Apple’s smartwatches and earbuds together, it’s hard to deny how much Samsung has borrowed from Apple. Not only does Samsung’s new Galaxy Watch Ultra appear to have borrowed its product naming scheme from Apple, but it also has a nearly identical watch band.
Social media users and content creators aren’t the only ones voicing their dissatisfaction: news outlets like The Verge and Business Insider also couldn’t help but slam Samsung for its Apple clones.
“Samsung’s new ‘Ultra’ watch and earphones are shameless Apple imitations,” read one headline. Business Insider.
The Verge article“Samsung’s new Galaxy Buds are a clear AirPods clone in both form and function,” the article said, focusing on Samsung’s new Galaxy Buds 3 and criticizing the company for its “subdued in-ear design” with a more “AirPods-like” stem.
Samsung didn’t just unveil a few Apple clones at Galaxy Unpacked — its foldable phone is in a category of its own, one that Apple doesn’t even have its own answer for yet — but unfortunately, Samsung’s new smartwatch and earbuds look so similar they’re likely what most people are paying attention to at the event.
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“It’s disheartening to see Samsung releasing so many Apple clones.” I have written Apple Insider’s Andrew O’Hara says of the X, “It’s a boring disaster compared to what Samsung had before.”
It’s hard to argue with that assessment.
