There’s no Android manufacturer working right now that isn’t trying to win over Apple fans, but no one is as focused on the iPhone these days as Google. It makes sense — from its quick update schedule to the custom Tensor SoC,Google’s latest smartphone lineupis aiming to be the “iPhone for Android.” But, as a series of new videos is quick to point out, the Pixel is much more advanced than Apple’s signature device — at least, if you ask Google.
The company’s latest ad campaign, #BestPhonesForever, doesn’t avoid getting in a jab or two about theongoing blue bubble controversy, but it keeps things feeling a little lighter than the usual I/O call out. Crossing Apple’s own Get a Mac campaign from the 2000s withMarcel the Shell with Shoes Onmight not sound like a winning combination on paper, but all five shorts are absolutely adorable, talking up the best of Pixel without getting too heated towards the iPhone.
The first clip is, without a doubt, the most essential of the group to watch. In it, the phones — talking to each other through their respective voice assistants — have a conversation about stagnation, with the iPhone concerned that itsonly lasting legacy is iMessage. There’s a bit of “how do you do, fellow kids” energy radiating off some of the back and forth (even if the “preach!” response from thePixel 7 Promade me chuckle), but all told, it’s a cute video positioning the two platforms as friends, not enemies.
That said, Google has to poke and prod a bit against its Cupertino-based rival, with follow-up videos highlighting wireless power share and astrophotography. The final video even ends with a tease fornext week’s Pixel Fold, shocking the iPhone into asking whether we’re now living in a future with flying cars. And, of course, Google made sure to squeeze the iPhone 14 into a bulky, Otterbox-esque case, just to ensure it looks thinner and sleeker next to one of the most popular phones on the market.
You canburn through all five clipsin about five minutes, so I recommend giving them all a go. It’s unclear whether shorter, edited versions will end up on TV or streaming services, but I’d love to see Google follow these up. Much as I hate to praise ads, it’s a winning campaign.
