Comparative advertising: Apple takes action against Xiaomi in India
The Chinese manufacturer had compared the Xiaomi 15 Ultra with the iPhone 16 Pro Max and called it "cute". Samsung is also suing over similar advertising.
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Apple has served the Chinese electronics manufacturer Xiaomi with a cease-and-desist letter in India. This relates to "certain advertisements" in which the company compared its 15 Ultra model with Apple's current flagship iPhone 16 Pro Max. Samsung is also said to have sent a similar cease-and-desist letter to Xiaomi, reports the Mumbai-based Economic Times, citing informed sources. The accusation: Xiaomi's marketing is said to have made "derogatory comparisons" between its own phones and those of its competitors. This is not permitted under certain circumstances in India.
Camera against camera
In one of the advertisements that are apparently affected, the camera module of the iPhone 16 Pro Max is described as "cute", while the 15 Ultra has four cameras from Leica – with 14, 23, 70 and 100 mm. "That. Is. It," writes Xiaomi. In another advertisement on April 1, it was said that it was probably an April Fool's joke to think that the cameras of the iPhone 16 Pro Max were as good as those of the 15 Ultra. In another advertisement for a Xiaomi tablet, the manufacturer asked people to "think differently" with the iPad Pro – echoing Apple's old "Think Different" slogan.
While Apple was advertised against with full-page ads, Xiaomi mainly campaigned against Samsung smartphones on social media, according to the report. However, the Chinese company also advertised in newspapers: However, this was not about smartphones, but about advertising for QLED TV sets, which in turn were compared with Samsung's LED TVs. However, Xiaomi is much more successful in this segment in India than in premium smartphones, where its market share is said to be one percent. The company is in the top 3 for televisions in India alongside Samsung and LG, according to the Economic Times. It initially remained unclear whether Samsung was also taking action against advertising for TV sets or only for Xiaomi smartphones.
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India as a market and producer
It initially remained unclear whether the cease-and-desist letters would be followed by legal action. These are always the first step before an actual legal dispute. Neither Apple, Samsung nor Xiaomi commented on the report.
India, the world's most populous country, is increasingly important for Apple. The company is building up both its sales network and its production facilities, which have already become the world's second-largest iPhone production site after China.
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