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U-turn: Indecisive Apple removes Samsung's Galaxy S21 from Beats Studio Buds ad

By Martin Filipov

Updated: Jul 08, 2021, 11:54 AM

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A week ago, we discovered that Apple's page on Amazon US was using Samsung's Galaxy S21 to advertise the Beats Studio Buds compatible with Android - earbuds made and sold by Apple.

Beats Studio Buds

Beats Studio Buds are now available on Amazon and work with Apple & Android! They give you ANC, IPX4 sweat and water-resistance, Transparency Mode, and much more.

Buy at Amazon

It was only fair that we gave the tech giant a chance to elaborate on its decision to feature Samsung's Galaxy S21 phone in the Beats ad. At the end of the day, the earbuds are made for Android (and iOS), but Samsung is Apple's direct competitor in the smartphone market. So we reached out to Apple at the time for a statement on the matter, but the company hasn’t replied (yet).

The Galaxy S21 image used to advertise the Beats Studio Buds is gone

The controversial Samsung S21-featuring image is gone to make a way to a nice white... gap.

Surprise or not - what Apple's done is perhaps even more impactful and telling. As of today, the image of a model holding a Galaxy S21 in one hand while listening to music on the new Beats Studio Buds isn't up on the product's Amazon page anymore!

Interestingly, the photo that featured the Galaxy S21 hasn't been replaced with another image. Instead, now there's just a gap between the two different paragraphs as if it's there to illustrate the broken relationship between Apple and Android, or at least Apple and Samsung.

Apple or Beats' actions don't necessarily mean the image was a "mistake", but it shows that they definitely didn't like that it made headlines. We definitely can't blame them, but also - why was the photo there in the first place? It looked too intentional to be an error and too strange to be true.

Unless, Apple's waiting for the new Galaxy S21 FE so they can use it instead, or perhaps the new Samsung foldables...

Does Apple want to be associated with Android?

Frankly, we still aren't sure what to make of it, but one thing's certain - Apple doesn't seem to like being associate with Android too much. Perhaps, just enough to sell Beats earbuds to Android users, but not enough to use Samsung phones for advertising them.

It's also worth pointing out that Apple's support page on Apple.com now uses an LG G6 for illustrations. That's not too bad - at least it's not the ugly Android phone that made a cameo next to an iPhone 12 during WWDC. Is Apple using an LG phone for illustrations to say... "Android is dead"?

The LG G6 makes a cameo on Apple's support page for using the Beats Studio Buds with Android.

In the end, we're curious to see how this one develops, and we'll keep you updated in case Apple reaches out to us or updates the Beats Studio Buds ad with new photos.

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Martin, a tech journalist at PhoneArena, brings a unique blend of humor and insight to his work. His fascination with smartphones began with a Galaxy Young and evolved through a series of trades and upgrades, making him a self-proclaimed smartphone nerd. Martin's content often combines current analysis of market trends with historical references and future predictions. Whether it's a deep dive into technical issues or a first-person commentary on industry events, Martin's articles are designed to inform and engage. His critical perspective is driven by genuine curiosity and a desire to keep readers informed, not by any corporate sponsorship.