Samsung roasts Apple's lack of foldable innovation in new ad – as a flexible iPhone is tipped for 2027

A new Samsung ad mocks the same-y-ness of Apple's recent iPhones (Image credit: Samsung)

Samsung's new ad slams Apple for not innovating with the iPhone
Both of Samsung's flagship foldables are showcased
New rumors suggest a foldable iPhone may be arriving in 2027

Samsung has taken aim at Apple in its latest ad, pointing out the lack of any foldable iPhone to complete with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6, and suggesting the iPhone doesn't offer much in the way of upgrades year-on-year. Meanwhile, separate rumors have given us our first glimpse of when an iPhone foldable could finally land.

"Think different... but not too different," the advert voiceover (below) says, mocking Apple's old marketing motto. Later in the clip the owner of a new iPhone asks "what's new?" – to which a fellow shopper says "who cares?"

The ad shows the Galaxy Z Fold 6 being used to run apps side by side, and the Galaxy Z Flip 6 being used for live translation – the implication being that Samsung phones are much more fresh and innovative than anything coming out of Apple right now. There's also a plug for some of the AI-powered image enhancing tools available on Samsung phones.

Three years to wait

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Whatever you may think about iPhone innovation compared with Samsung's phones, Samsung is clearly ahead when it comes to foldables. We're still waiting for Apple to launch a foldable iPhone (or foldable iPad), although rumors about such a device have been swirling for years.

A new post from well-known tipster @Jukanlosreve shows predictions from the analysts Omdia about when Apple will get into the foldable game. Apparently there's a foldable iPhone on the way in 2027, and a foldable iPad Pro in 2029, and it seems both these devices are going to make use of OLED displays.

We've got screen sizes too: 7.9-8.2 inches for the iPhone, and then 13 inches and 18.8 inches for the iPad Pro. If that last measurement is accurate, it means we'll have an iPad Pro with a screen bigger than any MacBook by the end of the decade.

While previous rumors around a foldable iPhone had suggested it might show up next year, this latest leak suggests we'll be waiting for a while yet – so Samsung can continue to poke fun at its rival for having no foldables for years to come.

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Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.