The archive · Marketing & Growth · Marketing decision · 2023–2024
Samsung syncs two iPhones into one Galaxy Z Fold screen for first-hand demos
iPhone users would not try a foldable in stores, so Samsung demoed it on their own phones: two synced iPhones merge into one continuous Fold screen.
Samsung Electronics
What it had to solve
iPhone users were the most reluctant segment to try Galaxy, even with the Z Fold's disruptive form factor. Watching a demo online did not convey the immersive benefit, and getting iPhone users to try it for themselves in retail was nearly impossible.
How it works
iPhone users were Samsung's hardest audience: they were the most reluctant segment to try Galaxy, and even a genuinely new form factor like the Z Fold could not be sold by an online demo. Getting an iPhone owner to pick one up in retail was nearly impossible.
So Samsung created 'Fold Experience,' a first-hand demo built from two synced iPhones. Placed side by side, the two screens act as one: a single, immersive Galaxy Z Fold interface where users can watch, play and see the difference for themselves — without ever having to switch devices.
The insight was to simulate the product's core promise — two screens that work as one — using the phones the target customer already carried. The demo turned the hardest objection, 'I don't want to switch,' into a no-risk play session, and the work is documented in the D&AD awards archive.
Why it lands
- It met the skeptic on their own device, removing the 'leave my iPhone' barrier before the pitch even started.
- Two synced screens physically enact the foldable's signature benefit, so the idea proved itself by being played.
- It made the demo portable and personal: the experience could happen anywhere, not just on a retail floor Samsung rarely gets iPhone owners onto.
- Watch, play, see framed trying as fun rather than as a comparison test the user might lose.
What it did
The retail barrier disappeared: the demo could happen anywhere, on the exact phones iPhone users already owned, and the foldable's dual-screen benefit was experienced first-hand rather than described. The work is preserved in the D&AD awards archive.
What you can take
To move people loyal to a competing device, don't ask for a switch first: stage the experience on the device they already hold, so the trial happens before the decision.
Since then
Fold Experience ran as part of Samsung's Try Galaxy push to court iPhone users ahead of foldable adoption, and the work appears in the D&AD 2024 annual.
Sources
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