On July 10th, Samsung held their Galaxy Unpacked Summer 2024 event. They announced their latest iteration of their foldable lineup, new earbuds, watches (including an Ultra variant), and finally, their long anticipated Galaxy Ring. Thanks to leaks and months of anticipation, nothing here was a huge surprise. The foldables received marginal spec bumps, as did the Galaxy Watch7 line. While their new AI-infused entry into the growing smart ring market was interesting, it is not actually what jumped out the most to me about this event. I was most interested in the design choices on the first generation Galaxy Watch Ultra and the Buds3 lineup, notably the resemblance they bear to their Apple counterparts.

Let’s start with the watch. Positioned at the very top of their lineup, it is Samsung’s entry into the high-end sports watch category previously dominated by Garmin and Apple. The watch comes equipped with a rugged titanium build, dual-band GPS, a new 3nm chip, and a massive 590mAH battery. Also, considering the impressive specs, it’s $649 price point is competitive. The primary competition consists of the $799 Apple Watch Ultra 2 or the $649+ Garmin Fenix lineup. However, this watch sure is not doing much to separate itself from the competition from a design standpoint. In fact, at first glance, you may think this is a cheap Apple Watch Ultra knockoff. While that might be harsh, the design cues Samsung took are obvious. Most notably, Samsung used a very similar orange that Apple used throughout the Ultra, such as on the band and buttons. While Samsung kept their signature round screen, the body of the watch itself is more of a squircle, making the footprint of the device itself rather similar to the Apple Watch. Even the default watch face used in the marketing material bears a resemblance, with a similar font used for the numbers. Finally, there is the “Ultra” branding. I’m willing to cut Samsung slack on this one: they have used it on numerous products, such as their Galaxy S line of smartphones and their Galaxy Book laptops, whereas Apple only uses it for their high-end watch. Still, it is just the icing on the cake for all of the design cues Samsung blatantly stole. I think that a more creative word to denote that this is the model for elite athletes would do a lot for this watch, but that’s besides the point.

The Galaxy Buds3 line also received the Apple treatment. For years, Samsung has kept a rather similar design to their earbuds (with an exception or two). The first generation Buds and Buds2 lines used a compact design without stems of any sort. The design was not anything super unique, however it was functional and distinct from their main competitor, the Apple AirPods. (If you’re looking for a truly unique design, see the Galaxy Buds Live. There’s a reason the bean form factor did not stick around). The newly released Buds3 lineup sees a departure in this design. They adopt stems, a more rectangular case, and lose their interesting color schemes for just a boring white and black. My first thought upon seeing them was that they just looked like the AirPods knockoffs that litter websites the Temu and AliExpress. It’s not like Samsung didn’t make attempts to differentiate them from Apple: the Pro model contains small LED strips on the side of the stems, and both models opt for a clear cover on their case. While these touches are certainly interesting, both seem more like gimmicks than useful (or even tasteful) design additions. I love my Galaxy Buds2, and apart from their great sound, one of the main reasons I am so loyal is that they’re not just boring white earbuds with stems. I have a pair in both Olive and Lavender, and these colorways go a long way to differentiate from the sea of white AirPods. However, I think I’ll be skipping the Galaxy Buds3 because they change those two things I loved about the previous generations. That isn’t to say that the sound or features won’t be great; early results seem to say they are a nice upgrade over the previous generation. I just don’t think the upgrades outweigh the poor design choices for me.

So why does Samsung feel the need to sink to the level of Apple copycats? The answer is simple, however the results might be mixed. Samsung is facing a bit of a crisis among the younger generation, especially in the United States. According to a Bloomberg report, a whopping 79% of Gen-Z US consumers prefer iPhones to rival Android phones. Apple products are status symbols, and many people know about the stigma around Android users (the infamous green bubbles). This loyalty doesn’t stop with the iPhones themselves either, but the accessories as well. AirPods and the Apple Watch are ingrained in Gen-Z culture, so it’s easy to see why Samsung would make their devices similar to try and draw some more customers over to their ecosystem. However, I will go out on a limb here and provide my reasons for why I believe this will backfire. Android enthusiasts may be disappointed and alienated by these tactics from Samsung. While they may not be as large of a group as Apple loyalists, they do certainly exist and have a market for accessories like this, especially the pricier ones like the Buds3 Pro or the high-end Galaxy Watch Ultra. Like I highlighted earlier, some people purchase Samsung devices not because they’re a cheaper option to Apple devices, but because they like what makes them unique. People already in the Samsung ecosystem may feel less like they need to stick with Samsung if they just get the same stuff as Apple offers. Also, by offering products that just look like knockoffs, it just reinforces the age-old belief amongst Apple enthusiasts that “Android is copying Apple.” The bottom line is, for the few people that these new products will bring into the Samsung brand, it’ll cause more frustration amongst brand loyalists.