Skip to main content

Motorola takes a dig at Samsung’s iPhone parody with ‘up-upgrade’ ad

Motorola - Up-upgrade
Samsung’s recent ad attempting to persuade iPhone fans to ditch their Apple-made handsets in favor of the Galaxy Note 8 was a clever piece of marketing that put a smile on the faces of many who watched it. The ad ended by imploring people to “upgrade to Galaxy.”

Lenovo-owned Motorola, clearly not one to miss a trick, has now responded with its own amusing effort that takes on both Samsung and Apple.

The 30-second ad (above) effectively carries on from where Samsung’s effort left off, with the protagonist, having finally jumped ship from Apple to Samsung, looking satisfied with his $930 Note 8.

Chilling out at home with his partner beside him, he happily shows her the video he shot of the two of them out together, with the picture looking great on the device’s gorgeous 6.3-inch display.

His partner, who in the Samsung ad persuaded the guy to get the Note 8, gives him a look as if it to say, “Didn’t I tell you? I got rid of the Galaxy.”

She reaches for her $500, 5.5-inch Moto Z2 Play, slots it into one of the device’s many modular options, and places it on the coffee table. Before the guy can say, “But you just told me to get the Note 8,” we’re all watching the Z2 Play project the same video onto 70 inches of wall in the couple’s living room. And it looks great.

The guy cracks half a smile, with the other half of his mouth refusing to join in as he weighs up the hassle of switching phones again. Even though he really should be happy with the Note 8.

The ad closes by mocking the ending of Samsung’s ad, telling us to “up-upgrade to Motorola.”

And in case you missed it the first time around, here’s the Samsung ad that Motorola mocks:

Samsung Galaxy: Growing Up

While we don’t expect that too many people will be rushing to swap their Note 8 for a Moto Z phone, the ad nevertheless gets the word out about the modular system of the Z family, which lets you easily add feature-boosting devices like a speaker, camera, battery, and yes, a projector, to your handset. The mods don’t come cheap though, with the projector, for example, coming with a $300 price tag.

DT has in-depth reviews of both the Z2 Play and the Galaxy Note 8, so go check ’em out.

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: news, rumored price, release date, and more
Renders of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, showing the front and back of the phone.

As we get deeper into 2024, it’s only a matter of time before Samsung unveils its next round of foldables. This should include the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and clamshell Galaxy Z Flip 6.

But what does Samsung have in store for the Galaxy Z Fold 6, specifically? From the rumored prices, specs, design, and more, here's everything we know.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: release date
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 (left) and Galaxy Z Fold 5 Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Read more
Best Memorial Day tablet deals: Save on iPad, Samsung, Amazon, and more
A person uses a tablet with an HP laser printer in an office.

While tablets may not be an essential part of modern-day life like a phone or a computer, they have a ton of uses that make owning one an excellent utility. Whether it's using them to stream content or play games, or, in the case of some of the best tablets, using them for work on graphic design, tablets can make a big difference. That's why we're happy to see some substantial discounts as part of the early Memorial Day sales. There are big discounts on Samsung, Apple, and everything in between, although if you can't quite find what you're looking for here, be sure to check our roundup of our favorite yearlong tablet deals.
Best iPad Memorial Day Deals

Apple makes some of the best and most popular tablets on the market, and if you're already in the Apple ecosystem, then it definitely makes sense to grab yourself an iPad. Luckily, we're seeing some great early Memorial Day deals on various models, although sadly there aren't any great deals on Apple's latest M4 iPads just yet.

Read more
Android phones may be a lot more expensive in 2025. Here’s why
The back of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, Google Pixel 8 Pro, and Google Pixel 7 Pro.

As if inflation isn’t hitting groceries and the housing market hard enough, your smartphone could also become more expensive in 2025. According to a post on Weibo, the price of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 -- the chip expected to power most 2025 flagship Android phones -- is about to increase significantly, along with the cost of the SM8750 wafer used in its production.

There’s no hard figure on what “significant” means, but even a jump of 10% or 20% could translate to a higher MSRP when it comes time to buy your next Android flagship phone. That said, this isn’t completely certain since price increases during production don’t always get passed on to the consumer.

Read more