Recently, two major competitors, Apple and Samsung, who have been rivals for a long time, joined forces to accuse Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi of crossing the marketing line and issued a legal letter demanding that it stop “ambush marketing.”
On August 28th, Sina Technology and Kuai Technology quoted reports from Indian media and tech media Android Headline that Apple and Samsung, two major tech giants, rarely took joint legal action, issuing a “cease-and-desist” legal letter to the Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi.
The two companies jointly accused Xiaomi of engaging in “ambush marketing” during events and advertisements in India, where they directly mocked the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Samsung flagship phones, damaging their brand image.
The core of the controversy, as reported by the aforementioned media outlets, revolves around the marketing strategy adopted by Xiaomi during the launch of the Xiaomi 15 series in India. Xiaomi directly named and mocked the camera performance of the iPhone 16 Pro Max and high-end Samsung models in its advertisements, claiming that their Xiaomi 15 Ultra has superior shooting capabilities.
Furthermore, on April Fools’ Day this year, Xiaomi published a full-page newspaper advertisement using a playful tone to describe Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro Max camera as “very cute” while implying that its shooting effect is not as good as their flagship model.
Insiders have indicated that this advertising tactic is known as “ambush marketing,” where without the consent of the other party, a company associates itself with a competing brand to attract more market attention. Such actions are often viewed as legally contentious.
Apple and Samsung have issued a “cease-and-desist” legal letter to Xiaomi, demanding an immediate halt to marketing activities deemed harmful or illegal. This joint action is rare in the fiercely competitive mobile industry.
Under Indian legal procedures, such legal letters serve as clear warnings, and if Xiaomi does not adjust its content, it may face temporary injunctions or economic compensation. Xiaomi has not responded to the issue at this time.
The Indian smartphone market is one of the most fiercely competitive markets globally. According to IDC data for the second quarter of this year, Samsung ranked second in the Indian smartphone market with a 14.5% market share, Xiaomi had 9.6%, and Apple had 7.5%. However, the iPhone 16 was the highest shipped model in India during the same period, accounting for 4% of the total smartphone sales that quarter.
This incident has sparked online attention.
Netizens commented, “This tactic is overused domestically, and now they are taking it abroad? They never properly present their products at their own events; it’s all about comparison from start to finish, always aiming to win.” “It’s done domestically, now causing trouble abroad, you may not get away with it there!” “Used to behaving this way at home, even if they tone it down overseas, foreign countries do not allow it.” “Strongly support Apple and Samsung.”