Bizarre Google 'Best Phones Forever' ads poke fun at iPhone

Google's new Best Phones Forever ads hearken back to the Mac versus PC ads of yesteryear, with Google arguing that Apple no longer tries to innovate with the iPhone.

A new series of five ads feature a talking iPhone 14 Pro and Pixel 7 Pro or Pixel Fold, which have quashed their ongoing rivalry to instead be friends.

However, the series is designed to give the two phones space to hash out their differences, with the premise that the Google continues to innovate with Pixel, while Apple doesn't.

The ad "Plateau" features the iPhone 14 Pro talking at length about how the Pixel has several features the iPhone does not, including Astrophotography mode, Call Assist, and 30x Zoom. The iPhone even remarks that it is jealous of the Pixel's AI.

In "Opening Up" the Pixel Fold asks the iPhone if it noticed anything new about it. The iPhone mentions the Pixel's Magic Eraser and VP features, which it's already seen and is jealous of.

The Pixel Fold reveals that it can unfold, surprising the iPhone. The ad wraps with the two playing a game together.

The pair takes a trip to the beach in "Lifesaver," where the Pixel 7 notices the iPhone 14 Pro needs to be recharged. In an effort to "save" it, the Pixel uses its battery-sharing feature to recharge the iPhone. After springing back to life, the iPhone remarks that it drained its own battery by "binging that show about the friendly soccer coach," a reference to Apple TV+ hit "Ted Lasso."

Google routinely ribs Apple over design choices, though sometimes to mixed results. For example, in October 2022, the Google Pixel team burned Apple on Twitter — but they used an iPhone to do so.