Samsung has found the perfect way to troll Apple’s first foldable iPhone launch — by hiring a man who happens to share a name with Apple’s own former CEO. The result: an ad where “Tim Cook” gives a glowing review of Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold8, just two days after Apple unveiled its foldable iPhone Duo.
Meet the “Other” Tim Cook
The star of Samsung New Zealand’s new campaign isn’t the tech executive who ran Apple for 15 years — he’s a real estate agent from Palmerston North, New Zealand, working with Harcourts realty. The ad opens with him introducing himself plainly: “Hi. I’m Tim Cook, from Palmy. And I’m reviewing my new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8.”
From there, the ad leans fully into the joke, deliberately mimicking Apple’s own cinematic product-launch style. This Cook walks through the Z Fold8 folded (“nice and compact”) and unfolded into its wider display, name-drops “Amazing AI” as he taps through the interface, and closes with two lines dripping in irony: “How about that?” and “You can quote me.”
The Timing Wasn’t an Accident
Apple introduced its long-rumored first foldable, the iPhone Duo, on September 9, 2026, at its “Surprise and Shine” keynote — the same event that marked new CEO John Ternus’s first major product launch since taking over from Cook. Samsung’s ad landed just two days later, and the company had already been building toward this moment: hours before Apple’s own event, Samsung had released a separate video titled “Welcome to Foldables,” clearly positioning itself as the more experienced player just as Apple entered the category.
Samsung’s Not-So-Subtle Subtext
Beyond the wordplay, the ad carries a real competitive argument: Samsung has been making foldable phones since the original Galaxy Fold launched in 2019 — seven years before Apple’s first attempt. Other companies including Google, Motorola, and Huawei have all released their own foldables in the years since, making Apple a comparatively late entrant to a category Samsung has spent years refining.
Samsung reportedly also worked in a jab specifically referencing Tim Cook’s recently updated profile picture, adding another layer to the joke beyond the shared name alone.
Part of a Long Tradition of Samsung vs. Apple Ads
This isn’t Samsung’s first swing at Apple’s expense — the company has a well-documented history of mocking its biggest rival in advertising, stretching back over a decade. Past campaigns have poked fun at iPhone buyers waiting in long lines for new releases, and one memorable Galaxy Note 8 ad featured an Apple fan sporting a haircut styled to resemble the iPhone’s notch. The Tim Cook ad slots neatly into that same playbook — using humor to draw attention to a specific competitive gap, in this case Samsung’s much longer track record in foldables.
Why This Ad Landed So Well Online
Part of the ad’s appeal is just how much production value went into a joke built on a coincidental name — Samsung’s marketing team fully committed to the bit, matching Apple’s own launch aesthetic shot-for-shot rather than doing a quick, low-effort parody. That combination of a genuinely funny premise and polished execution is a big part of why the campaign spread quickly online, turning a New Zealand real estate agent into an unlikely face of the ongoing Samsung-Apple rivalry.
Final Thoughts
Whether or not it moves actual Galaxy Z Fold8 sales, Samsung’s “Tim Cook” ad is a reminder that the Apple-Samsung rivalry remains as sharp — and as willing to have fun with itself — as ever. With Apple only now entering the foldable race Samsung helped pioneer, expect more of this kind of pointed, humor-driven marketing as both companies fight for attention in this newly crowded segment of the phone market.
