Android smartphones feature unique form factors that we’ll never see on an iPhone, like Samsung’s latest foldable smartphone. Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6Unfortunately, the accessories that Samsung includes with these new foldable smartphones are far from original.
When I say that Samsung’s recent announcements look like Apple knockoffs, I’m not talking about phones or entirely new products. Galaxy RingI’m referring to the Galaxy Watch Ultra, which has the same shape and design as the Apple Watch Ultra, and the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, which are near-copycats of the AirPods Pro 2. It’s a shame that originality takes a backseat here, and frankly, it feels like a step backwards for a company that’s spent a decade trying to break away from its previous reputation.
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When a company copies another, they often try to do it subtly and unobtrusively. But not Samsung. The Galaxy Watch Ultra is an Apple Watch Ultra knockoff, even in name. Samsung would have thought up other adjectives to describe this rugged, powerful smartwatch.
Samsung also appears to have taken inspiration from Apple’s square-circle design, which has been a staple of the Apple Watch for years but is more prominent on the Ultra model. There are similar orange accents, too, but we’ll give this one to Samsung, as both companies use a variation of International Orange, a color established in the aerospace industry and used to distinguish objects.
But it’s much harder to forgive Samsung for stealing the case and band design from the Apple Watch Ultra.
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The “Ultra” brand name is a bit off the mark though.
To be clear, I love the square shape of the Apple Watch Ultra, and the original was my daily smartwatch of choice for almost two years, but I’m not a fan of the Galaxy Watch Ultra’s design, and not just because it’s unoriginal.
Samsung copied the shape of the watch body but didn’t actually change the size of the display – it’s a circular display in a nearly square housing that the company calls a “cushion design,” resulting in huge, odd-looking bezels.
One of the great things about the Apple Watch Ultra is its large screen and small bezels. It also has the most minimalist look of any bulky watch. In comparison, the Galaxy Watch Ultra has a chunky bezel and looks cluttered. Samsung copied the design of the Apple Watch Ultra, but forgot to carry over the features that made it successful, resulting in a bland smartwatch that could have been better if Samsung had made something new.
The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro don’t look particularly unique in appearance
These earphones look just like the AirPods from Aliexpress
I’m so happy that Samsung copied Apple’s design.While the previous Galaxy Buds-shaped earbuds didn’t fit as well as the AirPods, and I feel the longer stems provide a better fit and control, it’s true that Samsung’s new Galaxy Buds 3 and Buds 3 Pro take almost every bit of inspiration from their respective AirPods. The overall shape, stem, case, and even pricing structure are eerily similar to Apple’s products.
Samsung cleverly calls the Buds 3’s stems “blades,” but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s the same stem design as the AirPods. The company also makes the Buds 3 and Buds 3 Pro in a variety of colors, which hides the fact that the Buds 3 design is just a knockoff.
Looking at the white Buds 3, very They look similar to AirPods: the housing, the location of the microphone and vents, and the charging case all seem to have borrowed design cues from Apple, and since the AirPods have been incredibly successful, it’s hard to blame Samsung. StatistaApple has sold 392 million AirPods to date, roughly the same number of iPods it has sold over the course of a much longer 21 years (450 million).
it is can’t believe itSamsung would naturally want a piece of that success, but copying Apple’s design would essentially be an admission of failure on Samsung’s part: After years of making the Galaxy Buds, Samsung was never able to outdo Apple with its original design.
Be original, Samsung
The 2024 Samsung will look exactly like the 2010 Samsung
Samsung has proven that it can make great, original products. For example: Galaxy Watch 6 Classic This is one of my favorite features and I wish it was on the Apple Watch Ultra. Samsung found a unique feature that people loved and then threw it away to make an Apple Watch lookalike. Even the rotating crown on the new Galaxy Watch Ultra doesn’t sync with what’s on the screen.
This is unfortunate for me as I like to try a little bit of everything. I don’t want the Galaxy Watch to be like the Apple Watch, and I don’t want the Galaxy Buds to be like the AirPods. I want products to be unique, original and aspirational, so that consumers can choose between substantially different options and ultimately pick the one they like best. That’s clearly not the case with Samsung’s latest wearable products.
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