Samsung calls iPhone 12 a 'downgrade' — you be the judge

galaxy s21 plus vs iphone 12 pro
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Samsung and Apple released their latest flagship phones within a few months of one another, and of course the fan boys were up in arms about which device is the best. Well take a seat, because Samsung has attempted to put that conversation to bed with its new Galaxy S21 vs. iPhone 12 ads. 

The US arm of the company has rolled out two videos naming and shaming the iPhone 12's camera capabilities. Samsung isn't shying away from touting the specs of its flagship smartphone, and it's not afraid to trample on the competition to do it.

The cheeky tagline of the campaign is "Your phone upgrade shouldn't be a downgrade," hammering home the message that the Galaxy S21 is a step above the iPhone 12.

While Apple's newest iPhone is solid enough, it does fall behind the Galaxy S21 in a few areas. For example, the Samsung Galaxy S21 series offers a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate compared to the iPhone 12's paltry 60Hz. The iPhone 13 Pro series is expected to get a 120Hz ProMotion display. 

When it comes to the camera, the Galaxy S21 Ultra boasts a 108MP lens on the rear, which allows it to take incredibly impressive photos like the ones seen in the ad. The iPhone 12 packs a 12MP shooter, though resolution is only one aspect of image quality.

In addition, the Galaxy S21 Ultra features a powerful zoom camera with a 10x optical zoom and 120x Space Zoom (digital). The iPhone 12 Pro Max has a 2.5 optical zoom and a digital zoom up to 12x.

So whether it's a humble grilled cheese sandwich or something a bit more ambitious like the moon, the idea is that you should get stellar results. But it's also worth mentioning that we've seen the Galaxy S21 cameras struggle at times; for example, portraits can sometimes look washed out, especially in bright sunlight.

The response to the ads has been mixed, with some commenters lapping up the shade being thrown in Apple's direction, while others find it all a bit desperate and cringeworthy. 

It's not the first time Samsung has taken a potshot at Apple. When the U.S. tech giant scrapped its charger from the box, Samsung wasted no time making fun of the move. The ridiculing was a bit pre-emptive, as the Korean company followed suit shortly after, making the whole thing embarrassing to watch.

We can't imagine it'll be the last time we'll see companies taking a dig at each other to push their own products, rather than letting the specs speak for themselves. In the meantime, check out our own Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra vs iPhone 12 Pro Mas face-off and our Samsung Galaxy S21 vs iPhone 12 comparison to see which phones we prefer based on our testing. 

Shabana Arif

Shabana is T3's News Editor covering tech and gaming, and has been writing about video games for almost a decade (and playing them since forever). As well as contributing to Tom's Guide, she's had bylines at major gaming sites during her freelance career before settling down at T3, and has podcasts, streaming, and video content under her belt to boot. Outside of work, she also plays video games and should really think about expanding her hobbies.